Podcast · 108 episodes
Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business, page 3
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.
All episodes, page 3
255 - How He Turned a $150K Into a Million-Dollar Wedding Venue & 5 Coffee Shops with Alex NelsonAlex Nelson (“wedding venue guy”) explains how he and his wife built a standalone wedding venue in Iowa from scratch, then scaled into multiple businesses: coffee shops, a baby boutique, and…25 Nov 2025 · 49 min · 19 chapters
254 - 3 Paths to Quickly Replace Your W-2 with Chris SacchinelliEpisode 254 is a conversation about “3 paths” to replace a W-2 quickly, plus how to choose and build lifestyle/bootstrapped businesses.20 Nov 2025 · 57 min · 30 chapters
253 - I Asked AI to Run My Business for a Week. Here's What Happened with Andrew PignanelliAndrew Pignanelli (General Intelligence Company of New York) explains Co-Founder, an AI “chief of staff” that helps entrepreneurs run “one person billion dollar companies” by automating the “million…18 Nov 2025 · 41 min · 23 chapters
252 - $70K/Month in 5 Months: How a 54-Year-Old Biohacker Disrupted Healthcare with Kevin DahlstromKevin Dahlstrom explains Bolt Health, a cash-pay testosterone replacement subscription service aimed at “low T” men, using micro-dosing, ongoing blood monitoring, and education to disrupt legacy…13 Nov 2025 · 49 min · 24 chapters
251 - He Failed for 20 Years, Then Built a $1B Brand in 6 with Ryan BartlettRyan Bartlett’s path to building True Classic, a billion-dollar men’s t-shirt brand, after decades of “failed” careers (music and poker), emphasizing compounding skills, solving a clear product…11 Nov 2025 · 1 h · 27 chapters
250 - Real Estate Investing: 3 Rules I Wish I Knew Before Starting with Robert LeonardHow entrepreneurs should enter real estate, focusing on “house hacking,” alternatives like wholesaling and long-distance investing, and why the guest is moving away from small rental portfolios.6 Nov 2025 · 30 min · 14 chapters
249 - He Almost Bought TikTok with Mr. Beast (Here's How) with Jesse TinsleyJesse Tinsley (Main Street) recounts rapid acquisition-led growth: buying Bench after it announced it was shutting down, building Main Street from multiple accounting/back-office acquisitions, and…4 Nov 2025 · 46 min · 23 chapters
248 - How to Close 3x More Sales and Build Your Own Drywall Empire with Jared KotterJared Kotter explains how he built a drywall lead-gen/sales business for custom homes, reaching about $1.7M in 10 months while doing “almost no labor,” using permit data, cold outreach, and a…29 Oct 2025 · 43 min · 22 chapters
181 - The Reality of Year One: Sales, Cash Flow, and Life as a Franchisee with Clayton EdringtonReality check on “Year One” as a franchisee—sales ramp, cash flow, startup costs, and the personal sacrifices of switching from a high-paying tech job to owning a roofing franchise.28 Oct 2025 · 37 min · 22 chapters
247 - How I Built an AI Second Brain That Runs My Business (Step-by-Step) with Elizabeth KnopfHow to build an “AI second brain” using Claude/Anthropic features—specifically Agent Skills (reusable task templates) and a Google Drive indexing setup for Claude Code—without duplicating data or…27 Oct 2025 · 31 min · 16 chapters
246 - Costco's Big Secret: How to Buy Everything 90% Off with Shannon JeanHow to start and scale reselling using auctions (especially Costco excess/returns) with “buy with math, sell with emotion,” using manifests, research, and systems rather than hacks; also what to…22 Oct 2025 · 50 min · 26 chapters
245 - He Built a 9-Figure Business & Helped Over 1 Million People Start Theirs with Stu DraperStu Draper’s path from a digital marketing agency to an ed-tech business, and practical advice for getting first customers and scaling (including AI opportunities for small businesses).20 Oct 2025 · 31 min · 17 chapters
244 - The Math Behind a $100M Concierge Medicine Business with Sandeep PalakodetiThe episode argues that U.S. healthcare is “sick care,” not prevention: primary care visits average about 7 minutes, and incentives reward procedures/volume rather than counseling and risk reduction.15 Oct 2025 · 1 h 1 min · 24 chapters
243 - Agent Builder is Here! What Does it Do? with Elizabeth KnopfOpenAI Agent Builder—how to build “agentic” workflows (autonomous AI that uses tools, memory, and decision-making) versus static if/then automations; demoing setup, guardrails, API usage, and UI…13 Oct 2025 · 42 min · 17 chapters
242 - I Replaced My Research Team with This AI (Here's How) with Elizabeth KnopfElizabeth Knopf explains how Anthropic’s Claude 4.5 (Sonnet 4.5) upgrades “artifacts” into dynamic, browser-based workflows, enabling extended thinking, parallel tool execution, and more agentic…10 Oct 2025 · 29 min · 12 chapters
241 - The Freight Market Is Collapsing, Here's What You Should Do to Save Your Business with Craig FullerFreight and goods-economy slowdown, why logistics is a leading indicator, and what small businesses should do in the next 6 months.8 Oct 2025 · 42 min · 21 chapters
240 - OpenAI Just Changed Everything! Sora 2 Breakdown with Elizabeth KnopfHow OpenAI’s new releases (Sora 2, ChatGPT 5, and Pulse) and Anthropic’s Claude updates (Sonnet 4.5 and “Claude for Chrome”) change content creation and browser-based workflows, with emphasis on Sora…6 Oct 2025 · 32 min · 17 chapters
239 - How to Build Your Own Short Term Rental Empire with Taylor JonesHow to build and scale short-term rental (Airbnb/VRBO) businesses, emphasizing that STRs are an operations/data-and-art business (not passive real estate), plus market selection, underwriting, and…3 Oct 2025 · 53 min · 26 chapters
238 - How to Easily Turn Vending Machines Into a Passive Income EmpireHow Mike Hoffman turned side hustles into passive-income-style cash flow using unattended vending machine routes, plus related real estate and outsourced Bitcoin mining; why he expects vending to…1 Oct 2025 · 43 min · 22 chapters
237 - What the 'Big Beautiful Bill' Means for Your BusinessEpisode 237 covers (1) Fed rate cuts and business implications, (2) the “Big Beautiful Bill” tax changes for entrepreneurs (QSBS/QBI, extended opportunity zones, accelerated depreciation, and…29 Sep 2025 · 45 min · 19 chapters
236 - How to Easily Automate Your Marketing with Brad SmithBrad Smith explains how Automation Links helps businesses “systemize” marketing using omnipresent retargeting and ad pixels, aiming to show prospects the same brand across multiple channels (email,…26 Sep 2025 · 38 min · 19 chapters
235 - How Mattress Firms Make Money Despite Empty Stores with Nick HancockHow Nick Hancock’s “Direct Outlet Mattress” makes money with few customers per week, using high-margin pricing, local SEO/marketplaces, and a “mattress guy” Twitter brand that lands large B2B deals…24 Sep 2025 · 32 min · 19 chapters
234 - Make $10,000 in 30 days with Sponsorships with Justin MooreHow founders and creators can monetize distribution via sponsorships—especially using the “R.O.P.E.” method (Relevant, Organic, Proof, Easy to execute) and audience research to land $10,000 in 30…22 Sep 2025 · 46 min · 21 chapters
233 - Political Pressure on Entrepreneurs: Should You Take A Stand?Whether entrepreneurs should take political stances amid rising political violence and social-media pressure; how to handle employee/customer expectations; and how Fed rate cuts, AI, and hiring…19 Sep 2025 · 48 min · 18 chapters