Rooted and Reaching

About Rooted and Reaching

There’s a job to do, and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, a midwestern work ethic is changing the narrative from rusty to ready. Our cities are opening up and working together as a region—universities are engaging beyond their campuses, sharing their brainpower and realizing that they’re bigger and better with the community behind them. Organizations are reaching out to newcomers and helping them build local networks, leveling the playing field. Infrastructure is being creatively adapted to be gathering places where new deals are made, new collisions happen, and new entrepreneurs take root. Join the Rooted & Reaching podcast, where we discuss the startup life with entrepreneurs with connections to the South Bend - Elkhart region. In doing this, we will inform the general public and ourselves about what resources are available and the major pain points of entrepreneurs in our region. This podcast is also intended to tell the amazing stories of our local entrepreneurs in the hope that it will inspire another person in the region considering an entrepreneurial pursuit to take that leap of faith and see the supportive atmosphere in the area.

Publisher

Startup South Bend - Elkhart

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Feb 2023

Latest episode

5 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

58 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Nov 2026

   From a Hospital Bed to 9 Million Followers: Brandon Reed on Building Cartoon Connect in South Bend

   South Bend animator and YouTuber Brandon Reed may be the region's most-followed media creator that you have never heard of. Brandon is the creator of Cartoon Connect, the animation studio and YouTube channel behind Lil Ron Ron, Gotta Be Mo, and Granny & Duke. He was born and raised in South Bend, and from his home here he has built an animation following of roughly 9 million across platforms, including 1.59 million subscribers and more than 270 million views on the Cartoon Connect YouTube channel. In this episode of Rooted & Reaching, host Marty Mechtenberg talks with Brandon and his puppet sidekick, Duke. Together they trace how a kid who loved Saturday morning cartoons built an independent animation company that he hopes will one day rival Nickelodeon. The turning point came in 2016. A throat abscess led to two surgeries and weeks on breathing tubes, and Brandon could not speak. In his hospital bed he could only think and pray, and he promised himself that if he made it out, he would go all in on animation. A month later he had his first viral video, Lil Ron Ron, which drew millions of views overnight. Brandon explains how his work with writer and voice actor Ron Bush grew into a lifelong friendship, a company they own together, and a series now in its 14th season. Along the way, Brandon has animated more than 600 episodes. Marty and Brandon also talk about how a YouTube animation gets made, Brandon's move into puppetry with Granny & Duke, and why he chooses to build his creative business in South Bend. They also cover how he keeps going when an idea falls flat. For content creators, animators, and entrepreneurs across Michiana and beyond, Brandon's advice is direct: start with what you have, and don't give up. Key Takeaways: ● Say the vision out loud. Brandon never let Disney or Nickelodeon scare him off. He decided he wanted to build the same kind of cartoon channel he grew up watching, and then he started doing it. ● A crisis can show you what matters. Unable to speak for weeks in the hospital in 2016, Brandon promised himself he would chase animation full time. A month later he had his first viral video. ● Reach out and move fast. Brandon messaged comedian Ron Bush on Facebook, offered to animate one of his skits, and sent back the finished video within a day. It drew millions of views overnight. ● Characters make stories connect. The skit was already funny, but it took off once the character had his own look and personality. Its story about a family figuring things out felt true to viewers. ● Build a team to protect the creative work. Bringing in animator Omar, an audio editor, and a video editor freed Ron to focus on writing and voice work, and let Brandon focus on animation. ● Give each audience its own home. When a show gets big enough, Brandon gives it a separate page so fans can find what they came for. Cartoon Connect stays the hub for everything. ● Start with what you have. Brandon animated the first season of Lil Ron Ron on a $200 laptop he got when he graduated from college. He upgraded his equipment only after the money started coming in. ● Failure is part of the process. When an idea doesn't catch on, Brandon gives himself a few days, then goes back to the drawing board. ● You don't have to leave to build something big. In Brandon's words: "I used to think you had to like move away to get certain opportunities. And it's like, no, you can really do all of that stuff from here." ● Share the blueprint. Brandon had to figure things out on his own, so he is now building a series that teaches animation from start to finish. Connect: ● Rooted & Reaching Podcast: https://www.southbendelkhart.org ● Host: Marty Mechtenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mechtenberg-515a648/ ● Guest: Brandon Reed, Creator, Cartoon Connect: https://www.youtube.com/@CartoonConnect ● Cartoon Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cartoon.connect ● Cartoon Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CartoonConnection #RootedAndReaching #SouthBend #CreativeEntrepreneur #CommunityBuilding #Elkhart #Michiana #Entrepreneurship #CartoonConnect #LilRonRon #Animation #Animator #YouTubeCreator #ContentCreator #IndependentAnimation Mentioned in this episode: Hello Home (https://rooted-and-reaching.captivate.fm/hellohomesbe)

2. 

   22 Oct 2026

   Cooking From the Soul: LaQuisha Jackson on Building Soulful Kitchen, Fighting Food Insecurity, and Training the Next Generation of Chefs in South Bend

   How does a South Bend cook with no business background become an award-winning caterer, nonprofit founder, and culinary educator? In this episode of Rooted & Reaching, LaQuisha Jackson, Founder and CEO of Soulful Kitchen, tells the story. She learned to cook at nine years old in her grandmother's kitchen. She then spent 16 years feeding the elderly at a retirement home, where she worked her way up from server to management. When that job ended in 2017, she turned a lifelong gift into a catering business rooted in Southern cuisine. LaQuisha explains how the Spark program for women entrepreneurs at Saint Mary's taught her the language of business. She describes why her first plan, a downtown restaurant selling dinners, gave way to catering, and how cooking classes and social media reels led her to launch a culinary school. The school offers an industry-level fundamental cook certification to people 14 and older, including high school students and people from underserved communities. She also shares how the COVID-19 pandemic pushed her to found Hope for the Hungry, a nonprofit that feeds families facing food insecurity and helps people work toward self-sufficiency. This conversation is about more than food. LaQuisha talks about growing up in poverty, the bias she faced as a chef of Southern cuisine, why community and compassion shape every event she caters, and how she lends equipment and advice to the entrepreneurs coming up behind her. Whether you are a small business owner, a food entrepreneur, or a community builder in Michiana, her advice is practical and hard-earned: believe in yourself, use your gift, and get your numbers right. Key Takeaways: ● A setback can start something new. After losing her job of 16 years in 2017, LaQuisha searched for how to start a small food business. That search became Soulful Kitchen. ● You can learn business without a business background. LaQuisha came from poverty, and the Spark program felt like a new language to her. She struggled through it and still calls herself "still in love with Spark." ● Let the work tell you where to go. A breakfast she catered for her church showed her that catering, not a restaurant, was her real path. She changed her business plan and her business grew. ● Opportunities build on each other. Networking led to work as a proctor and instructor, then cooking classes at area libraries, then social media reels and lives, and finally a culinary school. ● Cook for a cause. Soulful Kitchen chooses events with a purpose. LaQuisha asks who an event helps, who it impacts, and how it moves the business forward. ● Treat people with dignity. At Hope for the Hungry, guests are greeted with respect, coffee, and sometimes donuts, without judgment. As LaQuisha puts it, "I'm solving the problems that I needed solved for me." ● Healthy and flavorful can go together. Baking or roasting instead of frying, swapping a few ingredients, and getting flavor from oranges, wine, rosemary, and other herbs can make Southern dishes better for you. "We can't be small-minded when it comes to flavor." ● Get your numbers right. LaQuisha's advice to new entrepreneurs is to hire an accountant early: "Let your numbers tell a story." ● Be yourself in a crowded market. Selling dinners like many other food entrepreneurs didn't work. Following her own vision of large, elegant Southern events did. Connect: ● Rooted & Reaching Podcast: https://www.southbendelkhart.org ● Host: Chisonga Mukumbuta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chisonga/ ● Guest: LaQuisha Jackson, Founder and CEO, Soulful Kitchen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laquisha-jackson-2aba37155/ #RootedAndReaching #SouthBend #CreativeEntrepreneur #CommunityBuilding #Elkhart #Michiana #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #SoulfulKitchen #HopeForTheHungry #SouthernCuisine #SoulFood #Catering #CulinaryTraining #WomenEntrepreneurs #FoodInsecurity #FoodEntrepreneur Mentioned in this episode: Hello Home (https://rooted-and-reaching.captivate.fm/hellohomesbe)

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   From Chicago to South Bend: Elio Galo on Opening a Record Store Inside a Barbershop

   What does it take to start a small business in a city you'd never heard of a few years ago? In the Season Four premiere of Rooted & Reaching, Elio Galo shares how he moved from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, through the Make My Move program. He kept his remote job as advertising manager for Audio Express and Voice Coil (Audio Publications International) and then opened his first business: a record store running as a pop-up inside Dinoff's Barbershop in downtown South Bend. Elio talks about the questions every first-time entrepreneur faces. He tested his idea before paying for a lease, found mentors both locally and in the vinyl industry, and built his inventory around what customers asked for. He started with his own collection of about 2,500 records. He also added a new source of income with Soundbend Sessions, a series of small, stripped-down live shows that turns the barbershop into a music venue for about 30 people. The conversation also covers why vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs are coming back, why spaces where anyone can hang out matter for young people, and why building community should come before launching a business. For creatives, remote workers, and small business owners in South Bend, Elkhart, and the Michiana region, Elio's story shows that South Bend is big enough to have what you need and small enough to make something happen. Key Takeaways: ● Test the idea before signing a lease. Leases downtown were expensive, so Ethan Dinoff suggested Elio try the concept as a pop-up inside his barbershop first. ● Notice the gap and fill it. Elio kept driving to record stores in Mishawaka and Niles and wondered why there was nothing downtown. In his words: "So I didn't see it. So I made it happen." ● Unexpected partnerships can work. Barbershops have long had a connection to music, especially Black barbershops. Customers who walk in and find records next to the barber chairs keep coming back. ● Find a mentor in your own industry. The owner of Easy Street Records in Seattle, who has known Elio since he was 14, gave him advice on distributors, profit margins, and what sells. ● Let customers shape the inventory. Inventory is expensive, so Elio asks every customer what they're looking for and polls his social media audience. Their answers led him to add cassettes, CDs, and brand merch. ● Build other sources of income around experiences. Soundbend Sessions started in November and has grown to 11 shows. Each one is an intimate, 60-minute set where artists talk about the stories behind their songs. ● Build community before you take the leap. Supporting other local businesses meant they showed up when Elio launched, through events, social media shares, and introductions to their own audiences. ● Use local resources. The South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership, Connect 574, the library, and Ready 2.0 through CodeWorks helped Elio make connections and launch a full e-commerce site. ● Commit fully and expect to make mistakes. Elio's advice is to plan on no time off, be willing to make mistakes, and ask for help. ● Physical media is coming back. Elio notes that vinyl reached a billion dollars in sales last year. He believes younger listeners who grew up with everything on their phones want something slower, more intentional, and more authentic. Connect: ● Rooted & Reaching Podcast: https://www.southbendelkhart.org ● Host: Marty Mechtenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mechtenberg-515a648/ ● Guest: Elio Galo, Advertising Manager, Audio Express/Voice Coil (Audio Publications International); Owner, record store in South Bend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliomgalo/ #RootedAndReaching #SouthBend #CreativeEntrepreneur #CommunityBuilding #Elkhart #Michiana #RecordStore #VinylRecords #SmallBusiness #ShopLocal #MakeMyMove #RemoteWork #LiveMusic #Entrepreneurship

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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