Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business cover art
Podcast · 108 episodes

Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business

by Nikolas Hulewsky · English

Welcome to Nikonomics—the show for entrepreneurs and Wantrapreneurs, looking to make their first million. I bring firsthand experience, having bought and sold over a dozen businesses, achieved multiple 7-figure exits, and generated over $100 million in revenue. Each week, I blend humor with real insights from successful entrepreneurs, sharing growth strategies, deal insights, and unique business ideas you won’t find elsewhere. Ready to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality? Hit play and let’s get to work. Follow me on Twitter @CoFoundersNik or YouTube @NikonomicsPodcast.

Latest episodes

All episodes

302 - Best of 2025! Roll-Ups vs. Holdcos: Understanding the Key Differences and Benefits with Dzmitry MiranovichRoll-ups vs holdcos, using “lenses” to evaluate roll-up opportunities.7 May 2026 · 47 min · 24 chapters
301 - Best of 2025! From W2 Employee to a $18M Business Owner – Why I Left Corporate Finance to Start a Pool Business with Malcolm MarshallMalcolm Marshall’s “best of 2025” episode about leaving corporate finance to build Poolology, a Central Texas pool service and construction business, scaling from a small acquired route to ~$18M…5 May 2026 · 42 min · 22 chapters
300 - Best of 2025! Teaching Kids Capitalism: How the Tuttle Twins is Changing Hearts, Minds, and Laws with Connor BoyackConnor Boyack (Libertas Network/Libertas Institute) explains how the Tuttle Twins teaches kids capitalism and related ideas (entrepreneurship, property rights, personal responsibility) and how it…30 Apr 2026 · 48 min · 24 chapters
299 - Best of 2025! Surviving $250,000 in Employee Theft to Build an $8.5M HVAC Empire with Austin LinneyAustin Linney’s “best of 2025” recap on buying and scaling a rural HVAC roll-up, including uncovering $250,000 in employee theft/fraud, rebuilding operations, and growing from about $3.2M to nearly…28 Apr 2026 · 45 min · 20 chapters
298 - Best of 2025! The 3-Step Framework Consultants Use to Fix Million-Dollar Problems with Maurizio CunaHow consultants (and entrepreneurs) identify the right problem and root cause, prioritize fixes, and deliver results faster—without creating dependency or endless engagements.23 Apr 2026 · 35 min · 17 chapters
297 - Best of 2025! 50,000 Subscribers. $10M in Revenue. 1 Insanely Creative Business Idea with Michael ClarkEpisode 297 is a “best of 2025” conversation with Michael Clark of theflowerletters.com about building a subscription business that mails immersive, story-based letters.21 Apr 2026 · 50 min · 21 chapters
296 - Best of 2025! I Asked AI to Run My Business for a Week. Here's What Happened with Andrew PignanelliNICconomics episode with Andrew Pignanelli about CoFounder, an AI “chief of staff” that helps founders run businesses as “one person billion dollar companies” by automating the “million paper cuts”…16 Apr 2026 · 41 min · 23 chapters
295 - Best of 2025! Surviving the "Buyer's Trap" to Build a $6M HVAC Empire with Jack CarrJack Carr (HVAC Jack) shares how he scaled a small HVAC company in Middle Tennessee from a $600k purchase (2022) to ~$5–6M revenue, using acquisitions (“tuck-ins”), systems, and overseas back-office…14 Apr 2026 · 37 min · 17 chapters
rehehCoFounder, an AI “chief of staff” that helps founders run businesses as “one person billion dollar” companies by automating daily coordination across email, calendar, Slack, docs, and more.13 Apr 2026 · 41 min · 18 chapters
294 - Best of 2025! How to Build a Business That Can Run Without You with John SeifferHow to build an SMB business that scales without the owner doing day-to-day work, using systematization and SOPs.9 Apr 2026 · 51 min · 23 chapters
293 - Best of 2025! Building Beehiiv Into a Million Dollar Business with Tyler DenkTyler Denk (Beehiiv co-founder/CEO) discusses scaling Beehiiv into a multi-product newsletter platform and ad network, building a “creator-first” monetization model, and why email ownership beats…7 Apr 2026 · 49 min · 25 chapters
292 - Best of 2025! "Eat What You Kill": Why Raising Venture Capital is the Worst Way to Solve Your Startup's Problems with Erik KaiserThe episode argues that “eat what you kill” (bootstrapping with constraints) is a better way to build startups than raising venture capital, which can cause repeated cash-burning to solve recurring…2 Apr 2026 · 1 h · 31 chapters
291 - Best of 2025! The "Hot Ones" Effect: What Really Happens When Your Brand Goes Viral? with Scott ZalkindScott Zalkind’s hot sauce brand Lucky Dog Hot Sauce and what happens when a small condiment company goes viral via Hot Ones; includes his production, safety, pricing, and distribution lessons.31 Mar 2026 · 47 min · 24 chapters
290 - Best of 2025! The Catfish That Launched a Business: The Story of Sam's List with Kimi GreenHow Kimmy Green built Sam’s List, a marketplace that connects people seeking accounting/finance help with vetted CPAs, fractional CFOs, and financial advisors—plus the origin story of how Sam Parr…26 Mar 2026 · 49 min · 23 chapters
289 - Best of 2025! How a Former Lawyer Built an 8-Figure Sky Lantern Empire with Spencer HumistonSpencer Humiston’s “Nightlights” sky lantern festival business and how he scaled it into an 8-figure “sky lantern empire,” plus the related marketing/ticketing company Great Crowd and a country-music…24 Mar 2026 · 43 min · 26 chapters
288 - Best of 2025! The New Rules of Recruiting: Why You Need US "Killers" Over Overseas Talent with Connor GrossConnor Gross’s “Best of 2025” recruiting take: why US “killers” (especially sales/marketing/e-commerce roles) should be hired onshore, with overseas talent used as a support “barbell,” plus how his…19 Mar 2026 · 38 min · 15 chapters
287 - Best of 2025! From Wall Street to SMB: Unmasking the PE Roll-Up Playbook and Surviving the "People Tax" with Steve WiesnerSteve Wiesner explains private equity deal mechanics and the “roll-up / buy-and-build” playbook, including why it can work (multiple arbitrage, fragmented markets, customer-driven consolidation) and…17 Mar 2026 · 42 min · 20 chapters
286 - Best of 2025! The Cheat Code to Building a $400k Local Newsletter Empire with Ryan SneddonEpisode 286 features Ryan Sneddon, founder of a localized email newsletter in Annapolis, Maryland.12 Mar 2026 · 56 min · 27 chapters
285 - Best of 2025! How to Think Like AI with John LongBest-of 2025 episode featuring John Long on “how to think like AI,” focusing on AI agents as team members that automate omnichannel communication (calls, texts, emails, scheduling, interviews) and…10 Mar 2026 · 38 min · 19 chapters
284 - Best of 2025! He Saved His Firm $100 Million, They Gave Him a Gift Card: What He Did Next with Brian O'ConnorBrian O’Connor’s path from corporate strategy to entrepreneurship, using his “Choice Cascade” framework (goal, where to play, how to win, capabilities, management systems) to find product-market fit…5 Mar 2026 · 41 min · 18 chapters
283 - Best of 2025! The 7-Figure Summer: Uncovering the Hidden Millions in Door-to-Door Pest Control with Casey McDanielDoor-to-door pest control sales and how to build a high-margin, recurring-revenue pest business (plus how recruiting can create “pyramid-like” overrides).3 Mar 2026 · 36 min · 19 chapters
282 - Best of 2025! How Fear and Regulation Impact AI in Finance with David KaylorEpisode 282 is a “best of 2025” conversation with David Kaylor about how fear and regulation in banking affect AI adoption, and how he uses AI for practical automation.26 Feb 2026 · 19 min · 9 chapters
281 - Best of 2025! 99% Margins, Zero Ads: Inside Table One's Unconventional Success with Tarek ArafatTable One is a New York–focused membership platform that helps people get hard-to-book restaurant reservations faster, aiming to counter “reservation scalping” and bots that exploit…24 Feb 2026 · 59 min · 32 chapters
280 - Best of 2025! Understanding the Nuances of Advanced Language Models with Richard MarmorsteinAdvanced language models and practical demos—Google’s experimental image generation for storybooks, and Hume AI’s expressive text-to-speech integrated via Anthropic’s MCP tool-use standard (Claude…19 Feb 2026 · 25 min · 8 chapters