Business Under Fire

Whether you are an aspiring business owner or seasoned professional, tune in to discover secrets to entrepreneurial triumphs. In this First Season, Tommy Bonner will meet with 52 Business Owners of all walks of life, each ready to share their business tips and tricks as well as their trials and victories.

Business Under Fire is a arts podcast hosted by Tommy Bonner, with 55 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Tommy Bonner hosts Business Under Fire, a arts show with 55 episodes published.

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  Episode #16

  Business Under Fire | 90% Of Success Is Showing Up

  Sep 17, 20261h 1mS2

  In this episode of Business Under Fire, host Tommy sits down with Hobart Doyon, owner of HD Pools & Landscaping, to talk about his journey from earning a Master's Degree in Accounting to building a successful landscaping and pool construction business. Hobart shares how a side hustle mowing lawns grew into a full-time career, why he left the corporate world behind, lessons learned from scaling a service business, the realities of the pool industry, hiring and retaining employees, networking, sales, and what it really takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. Whether you're a business owner, contractor, tradesperson, or someone thinking about taking the leap into self-employment, this episode is packed with practical insights and real-world experience. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Hobart Doyon & HD Pools & Landscaping 01:10 - Leaving accounting to work for himself 02:25 - How mowing lawns became a business 04:00 - Growing from a few yards to dozens of customers 04:43 - Turning hobbies into businesses 05:17 - Lessons learned in the landscaping industry 07:34 - Managing seasonal business challenges 08:20 - Why landscaping installations became the focus 09:08 - The process of a landscaping project 10:09 - Using ChatGPT for landscape design and estimating 11:35 - The biggest challenges in landscaping 14:27 - How Hobart got into pool construction 15:25 - Building his first pool from scratch 16:06 - Pool automation and water chemistry 17:08 - Continuing education in the pool industry 18:33 - Winning business by showing up and moving fast 19:24 - Landscaping vs. pool construction today 21:31 - Finding new customers and staying busy 23:48 - Why Hobart still loves building pools 24:23 - Pool renovations and modern pool trends 26:47 - What the pool-building process looks like 28:18 - The real cost of adding a hot tub 30:33 - Pool maintenance and warranty work 31:11 - The hardest part of the pool business 33:33 - Construction labor and workforce challenges 37:02 - From janitor to accountant to entrepreneur 38:05 - Observations from Orlando and business growth 43:47 - Why success starts with showing up 45:16 - The power of networking and relationships 48:18 - What entrepreneurship has made possible 50:00 - The biggest challenges of working for yourself 52:00 - Setting boundaries as a business owner Connect with Hobart Doyon & HD Pools & Landscaping Website: High Definition Pools & Landscaping Phone: (210) 632-0576 Email: info@highdefinitionpools.com If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE with another entrepreneur or business owner who could benefit from the conversation.

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  Episode #14

  Business Under Fire S2 E14 | What The Best Coaches Understand

  Aug 19, 20261h 58mS2

  In this episode of Business Under Fire, Tommy Bonner sits down with leadership coach, speaker, professor, and talent development expert Dr. Colby Jubenville for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, confidence, coaching, culture, personal growth, and what it really takes to build successful organizations and successful lives. Dr. Jubenville shares lessons from decades of coaching, consulting, higher education, athletics, and leadership development. Together, Tommy and Colby explore why so many people feel stuck, how great leaders build trust, why culture matters more than most organizations realize, and how anyone can create momentum by taking ownership of their personal development. Whether you're a business owner, manager, entrepreneur, coach, or someone simply looking to become the best version of yourself, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and powerful stories. Chapters 00:00 Introduction & Colby's Journey to Tennessee 03:35 The Power of Coaching and Mentorship 05:15 Helping People Make Sense of Their Lives 07:00 Earning a PhD and Learning Through Adversity 10:00 The Coach-Athlete Relationship Explained 13:15 Agreed-Upon Reality vs. Agreed-Upon Future 15:20 Building Culture Inside Organizations 17:00 Leadership, Trust & Difficult Conversations 20:00 Why the First 90 Minutes of Your Day Matter 22:30 The Three Reasons People Don't Perform 24:00 Creating the Best Version of Yourself 26:00 Unlocking Greatness Through Leadership 28:00 Running Restaurants & Building Teams 31:00 Coaching Through Everyday Life 34:30 Lessons From Cutting Grass and Entrepreneurship 38:30 Why Young People Feel Stuck Today 42:00 Defining Success and Pursuing Your Own Dream 45:00 The Power of Handwritten Notes 47:00 Emotional Intelligence & Self-Awareness 49:00 Learning Complex Skills One Step at a Time 51:00 Competence Motivation Theory Explained 53:00 Talent Development Framework 55:00 Lessons from The Bear and Building Winning Teams 57:30 Defining Leadership & Developing Leaders 01:01:00 The Peter Principle and Career Growth 01:05:00 TED Talks, Reinvention & Growth 01:12:00 AI, Talent Development & the Future 01:16:00 Progress vs. Purpose 01:23:00 Using Adversity to Accelerate Growth 01:42:00 Advice for 20-Year-Old Colby 01:44:00 Four Rules of Talent Development 01:47:00 What Success Really Means 01:51:00 Family, Reinvention & Fulfillment 01:54:00 How to Connect with Dr. Colby Jubenville Connect with Dr. Colby Jubenville Phone: (615) 498-6802 Website: Dr. Colby Jubenville

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  Episode #13

  Business Under Fire | From Jail To An Artist S2 E13

  Jul 9, 202654 minS2

  On this episode of Business Under Fire, we sit down with Jacob Carroll, founder of Till Death Digital Media, a wedding photography and videography business based in Seguin, Texas — just 11 months into the game and already turning heads. Jacob's path here wasn't typical. Before picking up a camera, he spent years working as a correctional officer, starting as an 18-year-old control room operator and working his way up through general population, lockdown, psych units, and a prerelease parole unit. He opens up about growing up around the live music security industry, watching his mom battle addiction (and later become a substance abuse counselor herself), failing out of the police academy by two points, and how years inside a jail shaped — and jaded — his view of people. We talk about the leap from law enforcement to full-time creative entrepreneur, starting Till Death Digital Media the same day his daughter was born, landing his first paying client through a wedding planner connection, teaching himself videography through YouTube, and the biggest lessons from his first year in business — including why raising his prices actually helped him close more sales. We also get into his FAA Part 107 drone license, the DJI import ban, and how he's building his reputation through local think tanks, craft shows, and word of mouth in Seguin. If you're thinking about starting a creative business, working for yourself, or just want a raw conversation about life, jail, and entrepreneurship — this one's for you. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro: Meet Jacob Carroll & Till Death Digital Media 00:47 – Why "Till Death" Digital Media? 01:35 – 11 months in business (started the day his daughter was born) 02:26 – Background: growing up around live music security 03:07 – From Jimmy John's to the Sheriff's Office 03:35 – First job: control room operator in a county jail 04:39 – Talking to inmates through the intercom 05:00 – His mom's struggle with addiction and eventual recovery 07:45 – Promotion to correctional officer & the police academy 08:01 – Failing the police academy by two points 09:03 – Life inside the jail: the daily grind 11:19 – Working the prerelease parole unit 11:49 – Does the justice system actually rehabilitate people? 13:24 – Losing his creative spark working in corrections 13:59 – "Your reality is not my reality" 16:09 – Staying jaded vs. staying open 19:32 – Advice for anyone considering a career in corrections 19:56 – Starting a pressure washing business on the side 21:26 – What scares people about starting a business 22:05 – Getting the paperwork done & landing the first client 23:14 – Learning videography from YouTube 25:13 – What sets Jacob apart from other photographers/videographers 28:04 – His artistic background and how it shows in his work 31:07 – Becoming an FAA-licensed drone pilot 32:21 – What it takes to get a Part 107 license 33:01 – The DJI drone ban and its impact on the industry 38:04 – Biggest business lesson: closing sales 38:47 – Why raising his prices actually increased sales 40:07 – Marketing: Facebook ads, Instagram, and craft shows 41:33 – Becoming "the person of interest" in your local market 42:05 – Getting his work into local shops (Guadalupe Trading Company) 43:15 – The value of joining a local entrepreneur think tank 47:06 – Balancing family life with running a business 48:29 – The real difference between working for someone and working for yourself 50:00 – Hardest lessons from year one 50:49 – Jacob's goal: opening his own photography studio 51:52 – How to find and contact Jacob 53:26 – Outro CONNECT WITH JACOB CARROLL / TILL DEATH DIGITAL MEDIA 📍 Based in Seguin, TX — available to travel anywhere FOLLOW BUSINESS UNDER FIRE 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes 👍 Like this video if you enjoyed it 💬 Drop a comment — what part of Jacob's story hit home for you?

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  Episode #12

  Business Under Fire S02 E12 | I Tripled My Income In 30 Days - Britany Rodriguez

  Jun 11, 20261h 19mS2

  <p>In this episode, Tommy sits down with Brittany, founder of Cloud Ten Events, to discuss her journey from teaching and owning a nutrition shop to building a thriving event business with seven mobile event carts and a growing corporate events division. Brittany shares how a simple cotton candy cart turned into a full-scale business, the lessons she learned from failure, the cease-and-desist that forced her to rebrand, and why saying "yes" to opportunities helped her build a company that's growing across Texas.</p>

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  Episode #11

  BUF S2 E11 | Alan VS Rooster: The Power of Alter Ego Branding

  Apr 23, 20261h 25mS2

  <p>In this episode, we sit down with TikTok creator and entrepreneur Rooster Vance, a guy who’s built a powerful personal brand by leaning into authenticity, alter ego, and real-world business experience. We go deep on what it really takes to turn content into cash, why most people fail at personal branding, and how today’s shifting economy is exposing weak business models.<br/><br/>Rooster doesn’t hold back — from calling out fake “views = success” culture to explaining why your offer matters more than your content, this is a no-BS conversation for creators, business owners, and anyone trying to build som...

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