Choose Your Hard is the podcast that dives deep into the grit, resilience, and raw strength it takes to build a business. Hosted by Travis Jansen, each episode brings you inspiring stories of entrepreneurs who’ve faced the crossroads of challenge and choice—and emerged stronger. From the blood, sweat, and tears of startup life to the breakthroughs that redefine success, we’re here to show you that every path is hard, but you get to choose your hard.
Tune in weekly to ignite your entrepreneurial fire with real-world insights, unfiltered conversations, and actionable lessons to fuel your journey. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling your empire, this is your roadmap to thriving in the face of adversity. The question is: which hard will you choose?
Business Insurance Every Owner Needs to Understand
Send us a text Most business owners don’t think about insurance until something goes wrong. By then, it’s already costing them money, momentum, and peace of mind. In this episode of Choose Your Hard, Travis Jansen sits down with Jacky Voigt-Briceño, Senior Account Executive at Combined Insurance, a Chubb Company, to break down the kind of insurance most entrepreneurs don’t understand but absolutely should. This conversation isn’t about fear or fine print. It’s about supplemental insurance tha...
23 Dec 2025
Senior Dogs, Community, and Legacy with Chelle of Silver Snout Dog Rescue
Send us a text In Episode 10 of Choose Your Hard, Travis Jansen sits down with Chelle, founder of Silver Snout Dog Rescue in Venice, Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing senior dogs the ones most often overlooked, surrendered, or forgotten. In a world obsessed with what’s new, fast, and convenient, Chelle chose a different path. She chose to fight for dogs in the later chapters of their lives dogs who still have love to give but need patience, medical care, and a soft place to land. Thi...
12 Dec 2025
Building a Private ChatGPT on Your Laptop | Live Demo
Send us a text Most people use ChatGPT, Gemini, or another AI tool and think that’s the whole game you type, they answer, and everything happens somewhere “in the cloud.” But today…we flipped the script. On this episode, we install our own AI system LIVE, right on a laptop, with no internet needed once it's set up. No cloud. No companies watching. No one holding the keys except you. The tool we used is called Ollama, think of it like having your own private version of ChatGPT running directly...
4 Dec 2025
Ashley Jansen on Silver Snout Dog Rescue & Community Impact
Send us a text Ashley Jansen joins the Choose Your Hard Podcast to share the powerful mission behind Silver Snout Senior Dog Rescue, a nonprofit dedicated to giving senior dogs the love, care, and forever homes they deserve. Ashley opens up about what it takes to run a rescue, the emotional grit required to care for aging dogs, and how Silver Snout continues to grow through community support. From veterinary needs to foster outreach, Ashley breaks down exactly what the rescue is looking for a...
20 Oct 2025
Tradition vs. Technology in Business
Send us a text Artificial Intelligence isn’t coming, it’s already here. In this episode of Choose Your Hard, host Travis Jansen dives into one of the biggest questions facing today’s entrepreneurs: Has AI gone too far… or are we just afraid of losing control? From family-run legacies to modern startups, the rise of automation is rewriting what it means to lead, scale, and stay relevant. Travis explores how AI is transforming business — from marketing and recruiting to leadership and tr...
1 Oct 2025
Building Through Generations
Dan opens up about what it takes to carry forward a family legacy while driving growth in today’s competitive market. From hiring and onboarding the right team members to building SOPs that allow him to step out of daily operations, Dan shares the mindset and systems that keep Englewood Glass thriving across both residential and commercial projects. Get ready for a conversation about leadership, resilience, and the grit required to sustain a business through generations. 🎙️ Tune in and hear h...
17 Sept 2025
5 Pillars In Business
What if your business had a rock-solid foundation, one built to last through every challenge? In this episode of Choose Your Hard, host Travis Jansen breaks down the 5 Pillars of Business, inspired by Tommy Mello’s book Elevation. Drawing from both the book and his own journey scaling Jansen Shutters & Specialties from zero to $5 million, Travis shares the hard-earned lessons every entrepreneur needs to hear. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Leadership — what makes a great leader and ho...
10 Sept 2025
Company Culture
In this episode of Choose Your Hard, we sit down with Paul Keim, a dedicated team member at Jansen Shutters & Specialties who has worked his way up through the company. Paul shares his real-life experiences climbing the ladder, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and the customer touch points that have made the biggest impact on sales and long-term relationships. This conversation dives into the heart of company culture, what it takes to grow not just as a business, but as a family, a...
3 Sept 2025
Profit First
What if your business could guarantee profit - every single month - no matter what? In this episode of Choose Your Hard, Travis Jansen breaks down the game-changing book Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. Instead of running your business on the old formula “Sales – Expenses = Profit,” Michalowicz flips the script to “Sales – Profit = Expenses.” It’s a mindset shift that forces you to put profit at the top, not the leftovers. Travis shares his personal takeaways from implementing Profit First i...
27 Aug 2025
Comfort Never Built Legacy
In this episode of Choose Your Hard, host Travis Jansen sits down with Ryan Romanok, President of DR Aluminum, a family-owned company serving Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte County for over 20 years. Ryan opens up about the grit it takes to lead a business in today’s competitive environment while balancing family, reputation, and customer expectations. From building award-winning enclosures to leading a team that consistently delivers top-quality craftsmanship, Ryan knows firsthand that succ...
16 Jan 2025
Choosing Grit Over Comfort in Business
Entrepreneur Phil Jansen discusses with host Travis Jansen the importance of choosing grit over comfort to navigate the challenges of building a successful business, in this interview.
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