STL Small Business Podcast: Recent Episodes
Hakeem Valles
The STL podcast is a podcast hosted by NFL player and entrepreneur Hakeem Valles. Each episode highlights a different small business in the St. Louis area and the journey they have gone through.
In this interview with local entrepreneur Dan Tripp, we go into how faith has taken a role in the growth of his businesses. Dan is the owner of Alpha & Omega Coffee shop, Good News Brewery Ofallon, and Good News Brewery Defiance. We talk about how hectic it can be running a business and balancing that with spending time with your family.
This interview is with Dr John Moore, from the Back Pain Center of Ofallon. We go into the weeds of what it takes to become a chiropractor and the business challenges you must overcome to ultimately become successful.
This interview is with Ken Mao, the owner of Ful. A healthy & sustainable meal prep company in St. Louis. Hakeem and Ken go into the weeds of Ken’s journey and how being a tutor on a worldwide yacht exploration led to him founding this meal prep service. Enjoy!
This interview is with Conor Van Buskirk the owner of Upshot Coffee, a cozy coffee shop located in Cottleville. Hakeem and Conor go deep into the challenges of entrepreneurship and what work-life balance means when you have a family as well. Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with the owners of El Tio Pepe, a family owned restaurant in O'fallon. In this episode they talk about what it takes to run a family-owned restaurant and the importance of maintaining a culture as place where people want to eat and work. Enjoy!