The Son of a Poor Man Podcast

Tom and Ty talk about getting out ahead of your skis, and how that can be the downfall of a business, especially in the early days. Make sure to stay within your means, and don't make decisions based on what could happen -- be sure to base the decisions on what is happening.

This is the first of a two-part interview with Stan Hartzheim of Double H Morgage. Tom and Stan talk about a lot of really interesting financial stuff -- much of which Tom and Ty wish they'd known when they were starting out in the world.

Tom and Ty talk about hunger -- how hungry are you as a business owner? If you're not hungry enough, you could be passing up some opportunities to grow your business.

Tom talks with Nina Wajrowski, the owner and operator of Bear Forestry. Nina shares some of the challenges and successes she's had in her journey from being an employee of other companies and agencies to now being the owner of her own tree care service.

Tom and Ty talk about why "mojo" is so important, and what to do to get it back if you feel yours has slipped away.

In this special episode of The Son of a Poor Man Podcast, Tom changes things up a bit to bring Tate Schrock back in, this time with a few friends, to talk about an exciting project he's collaborating on with the Cheyenne Children's Museum. This coming Saturday, his company, EdgeFlyte, will be launching a balloon (complete with streaming video cameras and a payload made by kids) to the edge of space. Tune in for all the details, then come see the launch at the Children's Museum from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25.

Tom and Ty talk about what the perceived value of your services are, and whether or not your customer sees that value. If they don't, you might have to ask yourself some hard questions, or maybe work harder to show your customers the value you bring.

Tom and Ty talk about what they mean when they refer to "bootstrapping," and why they think it's the most effective and safest way to get a service-based business off the ground.

Don't let excuses keep you from starting the business you've always dreamed about -- or even just one that can get you to the next step in your journey. Recognize those excuses for what they are, then kill them and get on with your fantastic plans. That's what Tom and Ty talk about in today's episode.

For the first interview of Season 2, Tom and Ty talk with Daniel Harada, owner and operator of Frontier Pest Solutions. Daniel's a 28-year-old go-getter who started out working for a pest control company in Oregon, then moved back home to Wyoming and worked for a pest control company here for a short while, then struck out on his own. 

Tom and Ty talk about what the price is for running your own business -- not the financial price, but the cost of what you have to give up to succeed.

This episode is the final installment of The Son of a Poor Man Podcast's first year on the internet airwaves. It's the 104th episode of Season 1, and Tom, Brian and Ty sat down to talk about some of the issues they've tackled in the past year, toss around some ideas for what to cover in the next year, and a whole bunch of other stuff that's completely off-topic but interesting nonetheless. And as an added bonus -- :( -- the phantom buzz shows up a couple of times just to make Ty have to work really hard to try (and fail) to get rid of it.

Both Tom and Ty were sick last week, and it got them thinking that it might be good to talk about what you do about your business if you can't go to work. You need to have a plan in the event you can't go to work for a week or so.

Well, Ty was out sick on Tuesday, and now it's Tom's turn to be under the weather. Ty steps in to cover for Tom, and he interviews his sister, who is a veterinarian in Riverton. She talks about what she does to keep her employees happy, and she has some great advice for business owners to find grants and other assistance programs to avoid racking up debt.

Tom recounts 3 Costomer interactions where he had to help solve unique problems

Tom and Bryan celebrate the 100th episode of The Son of a Poor Man Podcast, and they talk about how they've worked to overcome obstacles in their businesses.

Tom talks with Ty about a tip he found while he was looking for business advice that he thinks will improve both his and Ty's businesses. They walk through the six processes every service-based business should have set up and ready to go. 

Tom talks about staying busy, even when things are a little slow. It's the "if you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean" philosophy. There's always something you can be doing to make your business better, stronger, or more efficient.

Tom and Ty discuss the Accordion Theory (which you may remember from Episode 26). If times are starting to feel a little tight to you, maybe you need to close that accordion down a bit and tighten things up. 

Tom had to do a show without adult supervision, but he was able to handle it. In this episode, he talks about focusing on the things that help you move your business forward, and eliminate as many of the distractions as you can. That's not easy in today's world, but Tom has some good advice about how to get it done.

Tom got a message from a person who saw him on the road in his Service First van, and it made him stop and think. He and Ty sit down to talk about the image you project not only of yourself, but also of your business, when you are out in public in your branded vehicle or clothing. Keep in mind that your actions are your advertising, for better or for worse.

Tate Schrock, the genius who lives in Tom's attic, stops down to the shop to tell Tom about QUO, an AI-driven telephone answering program. Tom didn't have anything at all set up in the program when they started talking, but Tate walks us through the setup to get the system to answer calls and give the caller all the information they will need. It's frankly quite astounding.  One note, though -- please forgive the background noise. As Tom says, this is the Son of a Poor Man Podcast, and we record in his carpet cleaning shop, which isn't always the best for sound quality. Especially on what even in Wyoming is considered a windy day. Now if Tate can just show us an AI program that can remove all the banging and wind-created noise on our podcast, we'll be golden!

Nobody's going to swoop in and save your business. You need to keep doing the things that make it successful, but also keep innovating and improving. Tom and Ty talk about the parasites that exist simply to feed off of businesses they can take advantage of, and the fact that those people aren't interested in improving your business -- they're only thinking of themselves. But there are things you can do for yourself to make your business successful, and the guys share some of those ideas in today's episode.

Tom goes this one alone, with no adult supervision, but he gives a comparison of two different stores in Cheyenne. Both are national chains, and one used to have lights-out customer service, and the other used to have terrible service. But he's noticed that with a change of management in both stores, they've flipped. It caused him to take a harder look at how he provides customer service in his own business, and his insights can help you improve your own customer service, which will in turn improve your customer retention and referrals.

Tom gives away one of his biggest trade secrets -- his Circle of Success. This is his blueprint for how to provide the absolute highest level of customer service, and he follows it on every job he does. The Circle of Success can be customized to any business, and it should be, so that you can build a process to ensure you deliver great customer service and make your customers think of you the next time they need your services. 

Brian drops in for another Life of Brian episode, and as usual, they jump all over the place. They talk about hiring one old guy vs. two young guys and about loyalty and being there for your people. It's the usual Tom and Brian unsupervised conversation, so it's unpredictable but chock-full of good business ideas.

Ty took his hats to a bronc riding event and set up a booth over the weekend, and in this episode, Tom and Ty talk about how it turned out to be a great business move. Ty went with the Minimum Viable Product, rather than waiting until he had everything he would need to do a full-blown hat store at the event, and he realized that MVP approach was probably a better strategy, anyway. 

Tom pulled in Don Blakesley, owner of Executive Builders, to talk about the business side of the construction game. It turns out there are a lot of similarities in all service-based businesses, and the basics hold true across the board.

Tom took his work truck on a two-hour round trip to get some hay for his wife's horses, and he used the SOPs he built after talking about them on this podcast to make sure the truck was in good working order. It turns out the truck was low on oil, and had he not checked it, the results could have been bad for the truck, which then would make things bad for business. So he had a real-life reminder of why it's important to make rules for your business, then follow those rules. Tom and Ty talk about that experience, and Tom gives some good tips on how to make those SOPs for checking your equipment easier with help from AI programs.

Tom talks about treating your employees right -- and that starts with paying them the way they should be paid. The amount you pay them is important, but more important than that is that you set them up the correct way. Don't pay a regular employee as a contract employee. Not only does it hurt the employee, it also can come back on you in a big way if you get caught, because there are rules about this. Know those rules, and treat your employees well.

Tom and Ty discuss how "busy" doesn't necessarily mean "profitable," and how you can make some adjustments to make sure you are profitable, even if you aren't as busy.

Tom, Brian and Ty are breaking one of their cardinal rules for this episode -- they're delving into a political topic. But they're doing it because the issue in question doesn't make a lot of business sense. They come from different viewpoints and walks of life, but they agree that America in general and Wyoming in particular should not be for sale.  If you want to share your own views on this issue with Wyoming's Congressional delegation, here are the phone numbers in D.C. for our senators and representative: Senator John Barrasso 202-224-6441 Senator Cynthia Lummis 202-224-3424 Representative Harriet Hageman 202-225-2311

Tom and Ty talk about a billboard that doesn't get the point across, and how you can't afford to make that mistake in your business. 

Tom and Ty talk AI. Artificial Intelligence (or Machine Learning, to be technically correct) is getting a lot of attention, both good and bad. But no matter what you think of it, it's here to stay, and there are a lot of things AI can help you do in your business. 

Tom and Ty revisit the Teeter-Totter principle. Ty's hat business has allowed him to step away from one of his other side jobs, though not yet his day job. Ironically, the side job he has been able to teeter-totter away from is the job he was doing for Tom. But Tom's cool with it.

Brian joins Tom to talk about some less than ideal conditions in locations they've worked. Both agree no matter what the situation is, always remember you're there to help someone solve a problem or make his or her life a little bit better, so stay focused on that.

Tom and Ty talk about "The Coast," and how it can quietly creep up on you and cause you a lot of trouble in your business. Don't sit back and think you've got this; you need to be always working to advance your business.

Tom and Ty wish you all a very happy New Year, and we hope 2026 is a great year for you and your business. 

Tom and Ty talk about some of the preconceptions you might have when you're hiring new staff, and how to make sure you're not inadvertently overlooking some people who might be extremely helpful to your business. 

Tom, Brian and Ty get together to wish you all a merry Christmas, and to share some stories about business experiences they've had over the year.

Tom and Ty talk about side hustles you can start with very little effort. You can use an easy side hustle to bank cash to start a more involved business, or just as a way to fund your hobbies or get to the next level.

Brian is back again for another installment of The Life of Brian. Tom and Brian talk about what it takes to get to "No. 1," or what being No. 1 even looks like. They also go off the rails and talk about the Postal Service, insurance, and a bunch of other stuff, too, as you'd expect.

Tom and Ty talk about the sketchy offers that seem to increase by the day from people who purport to be willing to help businesses increase their visibility and Google rankings. But the thing is, you don't need to pay those people to achieve great results. Tom gives you some pointers on what to do to get to the next level.

Tom sits down with Joe Taylor, owner of ApeScapes Landscaping AND Juicy's Burgers, Dogs and More, to talk about serial entrepreneurship and what it takes to keep not just one small business going, but several at a time.

Tom and Ty talk about the importance of saying "thank you." It's as important for you to thank those who trust you to do work for them as it is for those who you donate to for fundraisers or other charitable events to thank you for your donation.

Tom has Braxton Inniss from The Factory back to see what's changed since he last talked to him, and it turns out there have been some pretty big things happening for Braxton. They get off topic and talk baseball (a lot), but Braxton still has some great advice for business owners who might be having trouble finding the fire that caused them to get into business in the first place.

Tom talks about how he collects the myriad thoughts fighting for attention in his muddled brain by "warboarding," which is a process in which he writes down those crazy ideas, then goes back and reviews them at a later time to pull out the ideas that can work and comes up with a plan.

Tom and Ty talk about the things they're thankful for -- the people who have helped them find success in their respective businesses.

Sometimes a hobby can turn into a successful career. If you have a passion for something -- in Ty's case, it's building custom cowboy hats -- you might be able to use that skill to start a business. Ty is hoping that will work for him, but he's starting small and working at a day job, which is currently his primary source of income. He's hoping to eventually use the theory from Episode 29, the Teeter-Totter Principle, to make it his main job, but right now it's a side hustle. Tom and Ty talk about how you might turn your hobby into a side hustle, and that side hustle into a new and rewarding career.

Brian is back! Tom and Brian sit down to talk about the great experiences they've had with good customers, and why good customers keep them excited about going to work each day. As is generally the case when these two get together, though, they stray from the topic and venture into strange and unexpected territory. But despite their cognitive dissonance, they manage to bring you great stories about things you might experience in your own line of business, and offer good advice for dealing with those situations. Oh, and Brian gets grouchy about Ty bleeping out his more colorful language.