American Business Story with Taylor Walden

About American Business Story with Taylor Walden

Each week, you'll hear from a business owner on what it’s really like to grow and run a business. Business books and theory are helpful, but nothing beats mentorship and lived experience. This podcast is everything I needed (and still need) to hear as an entrepreneur building businesses myself. Episodes drop on Wednesdays. Subscribe to join the conversation.

Publisher

Taylor Walden

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Jul 2025

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

65 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   "Started in Our House, Grew to 210 Employees" | Building a Wireless Empire on EOS with Brandon Tate

   Brandon and Tamira Tate started a wireless company out of their house, and built it into the largest U.S. Cellular dealer in America with retail stores across 10 states with more than 200 employees. This week on American Business Story with Taylor Walden, Taylor sits down with Brandon Tate to talk about what it's really like to scale a retail business across multiple states using powerful processes, a pay for performance structure that never changed, and the Traction EOS system that allowed them to replicate culture and production at a rapid pace. During the conversation, Brandon walks through why going from one location to two was the hardest thing they ever did, and why he chose to emulate McDonald's approach to building scalable systems in his company. He also shares why they built a completely virtual leadership team pre-COVID, and what happened when T-Mobile bought out US Cellular and ultimately dissolved their business, but opened the door to something new. This episode is an honest look at building systems that scale, leading with mission, vision, and core values, and what it means to steep those values into every level of your organization so deeply that people behave like owners even when you're not in the room. Connect with Brandon Tate: Reach out to Brandon at brandon@atlanticwireless.com or visit AtlanticWireless.com to learn more about his consulting work with Tate Consulting Group. About the Host: Taylor Walden is the founder of Radiate Prints and a serial entrepreneur who started her first business in her dorm room at East Carolina University. American Business Story highlights the stories of business leaders and entrepreneurs. More American Business Story: Thank you for your continued support of the American Business Story with Taylor Walden Podcast! Know someone who should be a guest? Nominate them! Head to the Radiate Prints website (https://radiateprints.com/radiateprints/shop/page/shoptalk) and fill out our nomination form under the "Podcast" tab. You can find more episodes of the American Business Story with Taylor Walden Podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe-9mDwEvElrOVCAROBzYTw⁠), Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shop-talk-business-leaders-share-their-story/id1825982148⁠), and Spotify. We release new episodes weekly on Wednesdays! Connect with Radiate Prints: We print apparel people love to wear. If you need t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or a company store for your organization, reach out to us! Taylor and the team would love to help. @radiateprints on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn Website: https://radiateprints.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   “Your Business Can’t Be Your Identity” | Kristi Overton Johnson on Prison Ministry Reaching Millions

   She held the women's world slalom ski record for 18 years. Now she's reaching 2.6 million people behind bars. Kristi Overton Johnson, world champion water skier and founder of Victorious Living, joins Taylor on American Business Story to share how she built a nonprofit that "delivers hope" to more than 3,000 prisons nationwide. During our conversation, Kristi opens up about what it really took to become a world champion, why she decided to start a prison ministry, what she believes every non-profit needs to do to be successful, and what happens when you build an identity around what you do — and then can't do it anymore. From a letter written by an old friend behind bars, to walking into a federal prison for the first time with nothing but a panic button she didn't know how to use, Kristi's story is one of unlikely calling, relentless obedience, and the kind of grit that doesn't stay on the water. Connect with Victorious Living: Learn more about Victorious Living at VLmin.org About the Host: Taylor Walden is the founder of Radiate Prints and a serial entrepreneur who started her first business in her dorm room at East Carolina University. American Business Story highlights the stories of business leaders and entrepreneurs. More American Business Story: Thank you for your continued support of the American Business Story with Taylor Walden Podcast! Know someone who should be a guest? Nominate them! Head to the Radiate Prints website (https://radiateprints.com/radiateprints/shop/page/shoptalk) and fill out our nomination form under the "Podcast" tab. You can find more episodes of the American Business Story with Taylor Walden Podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe-9mDwEvElrOVCAROBzYTw⁠), Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shop-talk-business-leaders-share-their-story/id1825982148⁠), and Spotify. We release new episodes weekly on Wednesdays! Connect with Radiate Prints: We print apparel people love to wear. If you need t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or a company store for your organization, reach out to us! Taylor and the team would love to help. @radiateprints on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn Website: https://radiateprints.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Retired at 50 Without a Plan | From VP of 650 Stores to Building America's Largest C12 Franchise

   Robert Beaman retired at 50 from a 30 year career in convenience stores. He had climbed the corporate ladder from clerk to VP of operations for a 650 store company. He had a stable income, a good reputation, and no real plan for what came next. He just knew he was done. His wife asked what they were going to do. His answer? I don't know. Then one day, while standing in line at a gas station, he ran into a friend who said he was heading to a C12 meeting. Robert had never heard of C12. But that random encounter became the launching point for what is now the largest C12 franchise in America, spanning all of coastal and eastern North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia with more than 400 Christian business owners participating in monthly business forums. This week on American Business Story with Taylor Walden, Taylor sits down with Robert Beaman as he shares the story of working at a convenience store while going to college, climbing the corporate ladder through multiple acquisitions, and the conversation with God on his back patio that removed every ounce of fear he had about losing his job, his home, and his reputation. During the conversation, Robert walks through helping business owners bring faith to work in practical ways, why mission, vision, and core values are the foundation of a thriving company, and the transformation stories of real business owners who went from struggling to hitting financial targets years ahead of schedule. This episode shows what stepping out in faith looks like when you don’t have a plan, and what it means to build great businesses for a greater purpose. Connect with Robert Beaman and C12: Learn more about C12 and find a group near you at https://www.c12midatlantic.com/ About the Host: Taylor Walden is the founder of Radiate Prints and a serial entrepreneur who started her first business in her dorm room at East Carolina University. American Business Story highlights the stories of business leaders and entrepreneurs. More American Business Story: Thank you for your continued support of the American Business Story with Taylor Walden Podcast! Know someone who should be a guest? Nominate them! Head to the Radiate Prints website (https://radiateprints.com/radiateprints/shop/page/shoptalk) and fill out our nomination form under the "Podcast" tab. You can find more episodes of the American Business Story with Taylor Walden Podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe-9mDwEvElrOVCAROBzYTw⁠), Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shop-talk-business-leaders-share-their-story/id1825982148⁠), and Spotify. We release new episodes weekly on Wednesdays! Connect with Radiate Prints: We print apparel people love to wear. If you need t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or a company store for your organization, reach out to us! Taylor and the team would love to help. @radiateprints on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn Website: https://radiateprints.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings