Owner's Roundtable

Every successful business has a story that didn’t make it into the press release. Join host Jeff McLarty as he sits down with business owners who’ve been in the trenches—building, scaling, failing, and fighting their way to success. Each episode of Owner’s Roundtable dives deep into the moments that matter: the decisions that changed everything, the failures that taught the hardest lessons, and the operational strategies that actually moved the needle. This isn’t about inspiration—it’s about implementation. It’s about learning from people who’ve already made the mistakes so you don’t have to.

Owner's Roundtable is a business podcast hosted by Jeff McLarty, with 17 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Jeff McLarty hosts Owner's Roundtable, a business show with 17 episodes published.

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  Episode #15

  Planning the Unplannable: Events, PR, and Brand Trust with Daniel Schieman

  Sep 21, 202620 min

  What's the difference between marketing and public relations? In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Daniel Schieman, Founder of DASCH Productions, an event management and public relations agency. Jeff and Daniel get into what actually goes into building an event people talk about, the real difference between marketing and public relations, and why the best crisis plans get written before anyone needs one. Daniel outlines a useful distinction: marketing creates demand, public relations creates trust. Event planning is the same work in practice, understanding what people should think and feel about a business, then building toward that. Who plans the event, what you're investing in your brand, and how ready you are to protect it when something goes wrong: all of it shapes your ROI, reach, and impact. What you will learn in this episode: What actually goes into producing an event that reflects a brand, beyond booking a venue The real difference between marketing and public relations, and when a business needs each Why mystery and intrigue can work as a legitimate marketing strategy, not just a gimmick What a crisis communications plan actually includes, and the size of business where it becomes worth having Why brand protection is mostly work that happens before anything goes wrong, not after About Daniel Schieman Daniel Schieman is the Founder of DASCH Productions, an Edmonton-based event management and public relations agency working with corporate, nonprofit, government, and arts and culture clients across the country. Before launching DASCH full-time, Daniel spent years as a senior event manager and communications professional, planning more than one hundred corporate events and producing strategic communications materials for associations and faculties, including a newsletter that reached 8,000 readers. He was recently named the local host for a major international pop-up dining event in Edmonton. Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Contact Jeff McLarty: Website: https://www.focalpointedmonton.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/ Vision to Execution Scorecard: https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/ Contact Daniel Schieman: Website: https://www.daschproductions.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schiemand/

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  Episode #14

  From Swag to Smoke: Scaling Two Businesses with Russell Bird

  Sep 7, 202627 min

  What if your best business idea is hiding in the thing you do for fun? In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Russell Bird, CEO of The Promo Addict and You Need a BBQ. Russell built his first business out of a basement with nothing more than a laptop and a small line of credit, and later took second place at the World Barbecue Championships before turning that passion into a second company. In this conversation, he talks about scaling two businesses at once and the cash flow lessons that came with growing fast. When friends started texting him for barbecue advice during a pandemic that had nearly wiped out his first business, Russell brought in seven grills and sold out in a weekend, then scaled it to eight hundred grills in a year. His story shows what happens when you pay attention to what's actually in front of you instead of waiting for a plan to feel ready. What you will learn in this episode: How Russell bootstrapped his first business with a $10,000 line of credit and grew it to $400,000 in first-year sales Why a pandemic-driven cash crunch led him to start a second business both by accident and necessity The difference between B2B and retail cash flow, and the cost of goods sold lesson that caught him off guard How treating everyone you encounter with kindness pays off, and how it led to his first big account What actually makes promotional products work as a marketing tool, and how to get noticed by your market Why Russell credits his EO peer group with making him a better leader, not just a better operator About Russell Bird: Russell Bird is the CEO and founder of The Promo Addict and You Need a BBQ, two Sherwood Park-based businesses built from his passion for creating value for customers, employees, and community. Through The Promo Addict, he helps companies bring their brands to life through promotional products, branded apparel, and custom merchandise. With You Need a BBQ, he has turned a passion for barbecue into a growing retail, catering, and education business. Russell is an award-winning competitive barbecue cook and was the 2025 American Royal International Reserve Grand Champion. He also serves on the Canadian Regional Council for Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), supporting entrepreneurs across Canada. Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Contact Jeff McLarty: Website: focalpointedmonton.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/ Vision to Execution Scorecard: https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/ Contact Russell Bird: The Promo Addict: https://thepromoaddict.com/ (@promoyeg) You Need a BBQ: https://youneedabbq.com/ (@youneedabbq) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellabird/

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  Owner's Roundtable

  BONUS: The Origin of Owner's Roundtable (And Where It's Headed Next Season)

  Jul 15, 20264 min

  Jeff steps away from the host chair this week to talk about why he started the podcast, and what's ahead when it returns in September. He talks about the peer group of business owners that inspired the show, and why sitting across from someone who understands the weight of ownership taught him some important lessons in his own journey. Looking ahead, learn how the show's lens is widening. Alongside more owner conversations, expect deep dives with subject matter experts on topics like marketing, leadership, cash flow, and mental health. Thanks to this season's guests for trusting us with their stories, and to everyone listening for making this season worth doing. Enjoy your summer and we’ll see you in September. And if you have a topic you'd like to see covered, let us know here: https://focalpointedmonton.com/contact/ About the Host Jeff McLarty, owner of Focal Point Edmonton, is an operational planning strategist and team training specialist who helps business owners get to the root cause of what's holding their business back. Drawing on real-world experience and a deep library of resources and strategies, Jeff builds tailored solutions that move clients toward their vision faster and more effectively. Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Website: https://www. focalpointedmonton.com Jeff's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/ Vision to Execution Scorecard: https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/

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  Episode #13

  Joy as a Business Strategy: Creating Unforgettable Customer Experiences with Amanda Chin

  Jun 22, 202631 min

  How do you turn a dental appointment into an experience people genuinely enjoy? In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Amanda Chin, Owner of Norwood Dental — a two-location dental practice in Edmonton she co-owns and runs with her husband, Dr. William Chin. Amanda comes from outside dentistry entirely, running the business and operations side with a perspective shaped more by hospitality and experience design than clinical practice. Amanda has spent years observing what makes people want to be somewhere and translating that into a dental context. She thinks carefully about every point of contact a patient has with the business, from the waiting room to the chair to what happens after they leave. The result is a practice that has built its reputation almost entirely on how it makes people feel, in an industry where most businesses compete on clinical credentials alone. What you will learn in this episode Every market is saturated. Amanda's argument for why that is actually beside the point. The experience is the only thing a patient can evaluate after an appointment. How Amanda built a business model around that fact. Why getting a team to deliver a culture of surprise and delight is harder than building the culture itself, and what Amanda did when her best idea met immediate resistance. What restructuring from 30 direct reports to four actually changed, and why meaningful leadership requires a number you can personally manage. Why Amanda looks to hospitality and restaurants rather than other dental clinics when she wants to improve her practice. How community presence before a first appointment changes the relationship a patient has when they finally walk through the door. About Amanda Chin Amanda Chin is the Owner of Norwood Dental, a two-location dental practice in Edmonton, Alberta. She co-owns the business with her husband Dr. William Chin and oversees all business operations, team development, and the experience systems that have become Norwood's defining quality. Active in the Edmonton community and passionate about making dental care accessible and genuinely enjoyable, Amanda has built a practice known as much for its culture as for its clinical care. Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Contact Jeff McLarty Website: focalpointedmonton.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/ Vision to Execution Scorecard: https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/ Contact Amanda Chin Website: https://norwood.dental/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-chin-yeg/ Sign up to get new episodes to your inbox: https://s8zsh.share.hsforms.com/2y-GeC0XOT5CllU620jMQAw Read more on the Focal Point Edmonton blog: focalpointedmonton.com/blog

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  Episode #12

  Exit Ready: How to Build a Business Worth Buying with Gil Poulin

  Jun 8, 202637 minS0

  <p>What would a buyer actually pay for your business, and do you know the answer before they do?</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Gil Poulin, Owner of The Affordable Business Partner. Gil has bought and sold 42 businesses of his own over 45 years and supported close to 200 others through the sale process. In this conversation they get into what actually determines whether a business sells, why most owners are looking at their own business from the wrong angle, and what it takes to hand something off in a way...

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