The Business Behind Small Business

About The Business Behind Small Business

Most small businesses don't fail because of a bad idea. They fail because of what happens behind the scenes — the operations no one explained, the finances that quietly got out of hand, the marketing that never connected, and the moments where the wrong decision at the wrong time cost everything. The Business Behind Small Business exists for that gap. Each episode, host Sevana Stone breaks down one piece of what it actually takes to run a small business — from pricing and packaging to contracts, payroll, cash flow, government contracting, and knowing when to bring in outside help. Every episode opens with a story from business history: a real company, a real founder, a real lesson that maps directly to what small business owners face today. Then a local business owner or subject-matter expert joins the conversation as a co-host — not as an interview subject, but as an equal at the table. This is a small business education podcast for owners who are tired of surface-level advice. If you're running a company in the DMV — or anywhere — and you want to understand the real mechanics of staying in business, growing profitably, and not learning the expensive lessons twice, this show is for you. New episodes publish twice monthly. The BBSB Roundtable brings the conversation to a small, invite-only group of local owners every month. Mind the business behind your business. Proudly sponsored by the Old Town Fairfax Business Association.

Publisher

Sevana Stone

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Mar 2021

Latest episode

1 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

7 of 91 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   1 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Building a Business Without Being the Brand: When You Are the Product

   Host Sevana Stone interviews retired Air Force Colonel and CEO Scott Hopper about building a business that thrives independently of its founder's personal brand.

2. 

   15 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   AI vs. CFO: Could ChatGPT Be Part of Your Executive Team?

   Sevana Stone and Corby McGordon discuss how small business owners can strategically leverage AI in finance and operations while retaining human oversight.

3. 

   1 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Government Contracting for Small Business: How to Get In, What to Know, and What Owners Get Wrong

   Host [Host Name] interviews [Guest Name, Credential] about navigating recent government contracting rule changes and securing federal contracts for small business growth.

Inside a recent episode

Building a Business Without Being the Brand: When You Are the Product

Published 1 Nov 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] They can't live in your head. But they should be position-based and not person-based. So there's a credential, ISO, International Standards Organization. Yes. It's your quality management standard. And so it's not something that I need right now, but I always tell folks, if what you're doing today, if we were to double in size tomorrow, could you still do it that way? And if not, what you're doing is not sustainable and scalable. Absolutely. And so I'm forcing my team, we're making the financial investment to work with a consultant, caring ourselves for an ISO 9001 audit, just for what you said. […]

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100

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

Quality

68

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

81

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Guest appearances

Books guests

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

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