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About 1 in 54 children in our country were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder last year, with boys 4 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed. But there is still so much we are learning about Autism — and foremost, is that it can take many shapes and characteristics. In other words, it is a spectrum, not any one thing.

Rudy Thoms’ has spent his career in medical device sales, but the thing he’s passionate about is helping families who are making their way along with a child who is on the autism spectrum. His son Landon was diagnosed in 2009, when he was just a toddler. Rudy is the founder of Autism Strong here in Charlotte, and is joining us along with Stephanie Neuman and Choate Constructions’s Richard Conway to talk about their partnership and upcoming Build Strong event.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutismStrong

Facebook Buildstrong Event: https://fb.me/e/1xOMJ9azd

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It’s no secret healthcare costs are pretty high, and one simple procedure or one bad illness can send you into personal bankruptcy. Even with insurance, your out-of-pocket costs are a significant chunk of money. No wonder health insurance benefits are one of the top expenditures for any company, too. So how does a business know it’s giving employees the coverage they need, without cutting corners or spending a fortune?

That’s where our next guests come in. Michael Fox and Josh Hyman have similar backgrounds… as athletes and teachers…. but they came together over their work in the insurance business. They both thought, there’s gotta be a better way. They launched K2 Advisors to help companies save money without cutting out important healthcare options. Michael and Josh join us on the BrandBuilders Podcast now to tell us how they do that.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:40 — 30.6MB)

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The beauty industry for women in the US is a staggering $62 billion dollar business, and that goes up to $511 Billion worldwide for 2021. So you might guess, there’s money to be made in the beauty business, right? Well, of course. But in a year when a lot of women just didn’t feel comfortable shopping for make-up because of COVID, or salons were shut down, two Charlotte women brought a beauty box right to your door.

Leigh Humphry is an artificial intelligence and data pro who was looking for a way to bring a great customer experience to a new product. Lindsey Regan Thorne is a local beauty influencer who owns her own company as a make-up artist. Put the two together and you get Swan Beauty, a way to shop for personalized cosmetics — and apply them — without ever having to hit the mall.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:05 — 47.1MB)

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There are a thousand internet gurus out there who can tell you how to start a business, and many more who preach the sermon of being your own boss as an entrepreneur. But how many of them can tell you how to grow your business while still enjoying life, and EXIT your business successfully — as in, sell it for a lot of money and enjoy life a little more?

Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast is in the business of doing just that, and he’s done it half a dozen times already himself. Mac Lackey is a Charlotte kid who, by his own admission, made mediocre grades in high school at East Meck and got kicked out of his D1 college, where he was on a soccer scholarship. Gosh, where does a guy go from there? Well if you’re Mac Lackey, you get your act together, become an All-American at a second school, make straight A’s, play pro soccer, and then start building and selling companies for 7 or 8 figures apiece. Wow. And he’s here on our BrandBuilders Podcast to tell us how to do that with our company…. Wait, no… not yet, anyway!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:33 — 39.6MB)

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No doubt 2020 was a strange year for musicians — after all, how can you play a gig if you can’t be live on stage and in person, with an audience? Yet at a time when a lot of musicians saw their source of income dry up, George Ramsay and his instructors at Bold Music had already transitioned to an online platform for some lessons. It wasn’t hard to go full virtual from there and they were busier than ever.

George started Bold Music with fellow Davidson music alum Dean Williams in 2013, and they won the Best of the Best Award for Music Lessons by Charlotte Magazine in 2018. George is the CEO and joins us now on the BrandBuilders Podcast to share a little about how he worked to bring music to Charlotte, even through a tough year.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:00 — 47.0MB)

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Meet the man behind the mixing board. Yash Mistry has been with the BrandBuilders podcast from the beginning. Today we’ll learn a little more about his brand – Mistry Projects – and what he does when he isn’t making us sound good.

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If you know anything about golf, you know the name Bobby Jones. The only golfer to ever win the pro/amateur Grand Slam, he left an unmatched legacy of sportsmanship and golf. After retiring at age 28 in 1930, he designed the world-famous Augusta National golf course and created the Masters Tournament. His legacy continued through his children and grandchildren… and now GREAT grandchildren, one of whom joins us on the BrandBuilders Podcast today.

Robert Jones Black has helped carry the Bobby Jones name to a current generation of golfers… and created a way for it to move into the future. The Generation Next Project leverages the game of golf for youth development.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:27 — 42.9MB)

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If you have a business that stocks products, you probably have a warehouse. You also probably like to get the products out of your warehouse quickly through sales. But as you expand your product line, how do you store more products without adding warehouse space? Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast is a pro at making it all fit.

Seth Weisberg is the CEO of ABCO Systems — specialists in material handling and warehouse design. He grew up in the company, started by his father Michael as ABCO Equipment, and went to work there after college. He also worked for a few years as a business consultant, then came back and helped grow ABCO exponentially with new ideas. This year, his work was more important than ever as ABCO helped clients transition to e-commerce during the pandemic. He joins us now to share his secret of success.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:10 — 43.7MB)

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It’s not breaking news that this year — with all of its stay-at-home, work-from-home, kids-at-home-learning time — has been tough on our mental health. Right now while the days are hot and the sun is shining — and vaccinations are up — we’re starting to go out again and breathe a little easier.

But while fresh air and sunshine can do a lot for our mood right now, sometimes we need something more to help us. Juliet Kuehnle is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and owner at Sun Counseling and Wellness, whose practice also offers nutritional and integrative services for a whole mind, body, and spirit wellness package. She joins the BrandBuilders Podcast today to share some basics of mental health, and also how SHE kept up her own health after opening a new practice during a worldwide pandemic.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:38 — 37.4MB)

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The basic premise about health insurance has been the same since the beginning of time: You pay a premium every month, and if you need healthcare, your insurance kicks in to pay for some of it, right? But the Affordable Care Act and other innovations have turned the health insurance industry on its ear. While the premise stays the same, the options can take you in a thousand directions.

We’re lucky Lester Morales has been a leader in the healthcare industry during all of this, and is leading the way with cost savings again with his company, Next Impact. He joins us now on the BrandBuilders Podcast to explain how.