Country Club Conversations

About Country Club Conversations

T.U.T — The Unwritten Teachings is where timeless wisdom meets modern ambition. Hosted by Raj Tut, entrepreneur and founder of Storyboard Living, the show captures conversations with seasoned leaders, builders, and thinkers who’ve already walked the path and have the scars, stories, and lessons to show for it. No headlines. No hype. Just the unwritten truths about success, leadership, and meaning — shared by those who’ve earned them. New episodes every two weeks. Brought to you by Storyboard Living — storyboardliving.com. Follow @ItsRajTut on all platforms.

Publisher

Raj Tut

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Oct 2023

Latest episode

18 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

73 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Aug 2026

   12 Luxury Stores in 12 Months: The Rollout Nobody Saw Coming with Dan Abel Jr., Chief Chocolate Officer at Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company & Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier

   In this episode, I speak with Dan Abel Jr., Chief Chocolate Officer and co-owner of two St. Louis institutions: Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company, the business his parents founded in 1981, and Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier, a brand whose roots trace to Paris and a 1668 appointment as confectioner to the court of King Louis XIV. Dan is a second-generation chocolatier who, alongside his brother and sister, oversees manufacturing, distribution, national sales, and product development across both companies. We begin with the centuries-long history of Bissinger's and the story of how his father built Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate from a single storefront, then trace the family's path to acquiring Bissinger's in 2019. Throughout, Dan speaks to what it means to grow a handmade, heritage brand without ever compromising the craft that defines it. Our conversation covers the operating principles behind that growth: a discipline around cash flow that treats every expense as consequential, a relentless product-innovation cycle that brought new energy to a traditional industry, and the decision to acquire Bissinger's just six months before the pandemic forced a rapid pivot to direct-to-consumer sales. Dan explains why the company entered Palm Beach first when it began its retail expansion, reasoning that winning the most demanding luxury market would prove the model for the twelve stores that followed in a single year. He also discusses why he avoids chasing fads in favor of longer product cycles, how the business scales through small artisan production lines rather than industrial ones, and the lesson he values most — that staying hands-on and leading by example is something no book can teach. It is a candid look at building durable, premium growth in a business defined by tradition. Connect with the Host Twitter twitter.com/ItsRajTut LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajtut/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajtut/) Instagram instagram.com/ItsRajTut TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrajtut (https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrajtut) Connect with the Guest LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-abel-jr-15541765/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-abel-jr-15541765/) Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier https://www.bissingers.com (https://www.bissingers.com) Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company https://www.chocolatechocolate.com (https://www.chocolatechocolate.com) Timestamps 00:00 01:22 Meet Dan Abel Jr. and the family's two chocolate brands 02:12 Bissinger's history, from 1600s Paris to the court of King Louis XIV 06:03 How his father fell into the trade and founded the company 10:27 Growing up inside the family business 15:11 Building the craft and the business discipline at once 22:35 Igniting wholesale by knocking on doors across St. Louis 27:15 The seasonal truffle breakthrough and a competitor's advice 30:47 The Bissinger's acquisition and what made it fit 35:21 Six months of chaos, and the $1 million line they couldn't cancel 40:47 Lockdown closes retail as direct-to-consumer explodes 44:34 The omnichannel flywheel and following the data to Florida 47:00 Why they opened in Palm Beach first 49:55 From one Palm Beach store to twelve in a year 65:22 The lesson you can't learn from a book This podcast is brought to you by Storyboard Living. If you're looking to sell us a 40+ unit multifamily property in the St. Louis region, or another part of MO/IL, please email deals@storyboardliving.com Connect with us at our Website: https://storyboardliving.com/ (https://storyboardliving.com/) LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/storyboard-living/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/storyboard-living/) #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Business #FamilyBusiness #LuxuryBrand #RetailExpansion #ProductInnovation #StLouisBusiness

2. 

   4 Aug 2026

   How Missouri Became the 5th Largest Cannabis Market in America with Kevin Riggs, Co-founder & CEO at BeLeaf Medical

   In this episode, I speak with Kevin Riggs, co-founder, partner, and CEO of BeLeaf Medical Co., one of Missouri's first vertically integrated cannabis companies and the organization behind the Swade dispensary brand. Riggs's background is in engineering rather than cannabis; he built and ran a civil engineering firm before his interest in concussion research and pain management led him into the plant sciences. He was named a St. Louis Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, and his career has since spanned politics, engineering, and now one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country. What stands out in this conversation is how much of BeLeaf's origin traces back to a picnic table shared among three partners with no established roadmap to follow.Our conversation covers what is required to build a vertically integrated cannabis company from seed to sale, including the banking restrictions, zoning obstacles, and regulatory uncertainty that defined the industry's early years. Riggs details Missouri's seed-to-sale tracking requirements, the tax code provisions that treat cannabis operators similarly to unlicensed drug traffickers, and the deliberate culture work required to scale from a handful of founders to five hundred employees without losing what made the company function in the first place. He also shares the piece of advice that has stayed with him longer than anything he has read in a business book: there is no playbook, and the people who succeed are simply the ones who continue showing up.Connect with the HostTwittertwitter.com/ItsRajTutLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rajtut/Instagraminstagram.com/ItsRajTutTikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@itsrajtutConnect with the GuestLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-e-riggs-p-e-9b71101/Websitehttps://beleafmedical.com/Companyhttps://swadecannabis.com/Timestamps00:00Cold open — the mentor who told him "you owe me this"01:06Introducing Kevin Riggs and BeLeaf Medical02:05Growing up in St. Charles between sports and music05:32Jim McMahon, Junior Seau, and the concussion research that led him to cannabis07:24Founding BeLeaf Medical around a picnic table14:27What Missouri's cannabis landscape looked like before legalization16:21The 2018 Farm Bill loophole and the fight over Amendments 2 and 324:02The real barriers pioneers faced: banking, zoning, and vendors31:33What vertical integration actually looks like, seed to sale34:26Inside Metrc: how every plant gets tracked and traced37:16Why cannabis is one of the highest-taxed industries in the country40:05Building and defending culture across 500 employees50:42Kevin's role today: boardroom vs. the dispensary floor57:01What actually drove BeLeaf's growth and turnaround65:47The best business advice he never found in a bookThis podcast is brought to you by Storyboard Living.If you're looking to sell us a 40+ unit multifamily property in the St. Louis region, or another part of MO/IL, please email deals@storyboardliving.comConnect with us at our Website: https://storyboardliving.com/LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/storyboard-living/

3. 

   23 Jun 2026

   The Real Business Behind Interior Design with Julie Abner, Principal Designer & Owner at Julie Abner Interiors

   In this episode, I sat down with Julie Abner, Principal Designer & Owner at Julie Abner Interiors, an award-winning full-service interior design firm based in St. Louis. Julie has been building her firm for nearly 20 years, with work featured in publications like St. Louis Magazine, Sophisticated Living, and St. Louis Homes + Lifestyles. We talked about her early creative influences, how her parents helped recognize her interest in design, and the path that took her from Southern Illinois to Chicago and eventually to St. Louis. Julie also shared how she transitioned from working under other designers into building a firm of her own. We also got into the real business behind interior design: earning client trust, managing process, building vendor relationships, avoiding trends that do not last, and creating spaces that feel personal rather than copied. Julie broke down how she reads a client’s inspiration images, why five photos can be more useful than 100, and how she balances a client’s vision with budget, scale, materials, and long-term livability. She also shared practical design ideas for elevated spaces on a budget, her view on AI in the design process, and the unwritten teaching she would pass on: value yourself, trust your instincts, stay focused, and do the work. Connect with the Host Twitter: ⁠twitter.com/ItsRajTut/ ⁠⁠ (twitter.com/ItsRajTut/ ⁠⁠ ) LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajtut/⁠⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajtut/⁠⁠ ) Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/ItsRajTut⁠ (instagram.com/ItsRajTut⁠ ) TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrajtut (https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrajtut) Connect with the Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieabnerinteriors (https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieabnerinteriors?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Website: https://www.julieabnerinteriors.com/ (https://www.julieabnerinteriors.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie_abner_interiors/ (https://www.instagram.com/julie_abner_interiors/) Timestamps for Key Segments 00:00 Design hacks for an elevated look on a budget 00:42 Storyboard Living multifamily acquisition note 01:13 Introducing Julie Abner and her 20-year design career 02:15 Growing up creative in Southern Illinois 04:21 Choosing design instead of a traditional path 05:33 Chicago, St. Louis, and the next career goal 06:49 Learning the business before starting her own firm 09:35 Moving from home office to The Hill studio 10:48 Wearing every hat in the early years 13:03 The first award and early validation 15:34 How Julie earns trust with clients 16:44 Balancing client vision with professional experience 19:09 What designers see inside inspiration images 21:33 Design lessons for commercial real estate spaces 25:08 Budget-friendly ways to elevate a home or apartment 27:37 Avoiding one-signature-style design 30:02 Timeless design versus trends 34:44 Staying current without copying what is overdone 37:19 What separates great vendors from average vendors 38:40 How AI fits into interior design 41:06 Lessons from year one to year twenty 43:49 Building a team, reputation, and confidence 45:52 Julie’s goals for the next decade 51:09 Rapid-fire design opinions 54:18 Julie’s unwritten teaching This podcast is brought to you by Storyboard Living. If you're looking to sell us a 40+ unit multifamily property in the St. Louis region, or another part of MO/IL, please email deals@storyboardliving.com (mailto:deals@storyboardliving.com) Connect with us at our Website: https://storyboardliving.com/ (https://storyboardliving.com/) LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/storyboard-living/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/storyboard-living/)

Who has been a guest on Country Club Conversations

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Sonia Cajigal
• Mark Turnbull
• Rachel Wallis
• Shaun Hayes
• Han Ko

Reach and audience

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

YouTube views

190,171

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 82 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

89

Social presence

94

YouTube

82

Engagement

60

Contact Country Club Conversations

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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