On today’s edition of “Your American Story”, Raja examines the role that our political leaders can play in shaping the climate in which we do business, and in which we live. Plus, we take a look at the challenges and opportunities that a business owner faces when looking to sell his or her business in the current economic state, as well as what a prospective business owner needs to know when it comes time to buy the next (or maybe the first) enterprise. When it comes to our region’s political leaders, are local businesses and constituents REALLY being served effectively? Raja hopes to answer that question, as he goes one-on-one with Randy Vulakovich. The Pennsylvania State Senator talks about his unique background in law enforcement, his ascension through Pennsylvania State Legislature, his take on what Pennsylvania needs to do in order to become a more business-friendly state, and the programs he is working on to get there. Next, Raja discusses the process of buying and selling a business, with the help of Scott Mashuda of the Rivers Edge Alliance Group, a Pittsburgh-based business brokerage firm. Scott discusses the things a business owner needs to know in order to prep your business for sale, in order to attain the maximum return on your substantial investment of time, sweat, and money. Plus, if you’re looking to buy a business, Scott has the answers on what to look for in a prospective company, and what pitfalls you need to avoid along the way.

On September 8^th we’re launching a series of inspiring radio contests for entrepreneurs similar to ABC’s Shark Tank, but less combative. After receiving feedback from you, we’ve named the series “Running with the Bulls”.

Our inaugural series is in collaboration with our friends at Idea Foundry, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that measures its success by job creation in southwestern PA. Listeners will meet a lively group of determined entrepreneurs on the hunt for investment dollars and sage advice from a team of tough, experienced business leaders.
The online experience will allow real-time voting for the contest participants. Stay tuned for the details to be available on our website. You’ve never heard radio sound quite like this!

Reinvention is one of the most oft-used words when it comes to business, as a means through which a struggling company can turn itself around, or a successful company can reach that elusive next level. Today on “Your American Story”, Raja talks with three Western Pennsylvania business leaders for whom reinvention played a role in their success. Razi Imam and Anumpam Singh are the co-founders of 113 Industries, a consultation firm that works with companies in order to incorporate open innovation into their business strategy. Both Razi and Anupam have embraced the idea of open innovation, or the idea that a company’s best ideas shouldn’t have to be exclusively from “in-house” staff and resources, but instead can be culled from the endless supply in the global thought marketplace. They talk to Raja about what is “open innovation”, and why it is a necessary tool for business to reach the next level. -For John Graf and his family, reinvention came through the radical transformation of their business, The Priory. The family took over what had once been a thriving priory (literally) for Benedictine monks that had fallen on hard times and waning relevancy and transformed it into a “triple threat” of a business (hotel, event facility, bakery) that has received national acclaim as one of the “best kept secrets” in Western Pennsylvania, and a must-stop for folks coming in from out of town. John joins Raja to discuss the remarkable story of how The Priory changed course to become a thriving enterprise.

The road to business success can often be a long, arduous one, with many challenges along the way. On today’s edition of “The Raja Show”, Raja interviews two successful business leaders whose stories can serve to be inspirational to anybody looking to reach the next level with his or her current endeavors. -It didn’t take Chuck Sanders long after his NFL career wound down to make a successful tradition to the business world. The former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, after a way stop in the realty industry, has thrived in the beverage and hospitality realm, as one of the team behind Fever, a Pennsylvania-basd line of energy drinks, and as the owner of the Savoy Restaurant, an upscale dining establishment located in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Chuck talks with Raja about his remarkable story, how he was able to take the lessons he learned on the gridiron and applied them to the boardroom, and how he was able to enjoy post-NFL success that many of his peers have been unable to replicate. -Operating a successful business is challenging enough for any aspiring entrepreneur, but how about for one who has already endured a battle with cancer? When Michael O’Neill was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, it was during his recovery, a period which included four chemotherapy treatments, that Michael decided to use that experience to help others. Today, Michael is the founder of GetWellNetwork, a website geared to helping improve the engagement between customer and patient. Michael and Raja discuss Michael’s amazing journey, as well as preview Michael’s upcoming discussion at the “My Story” event, presented by TIE Pittsburgh, on Thursday, August 22. For more information on this event, visit TiePittsburgh’s website.

What role does lifelong learning play in our everyday lives, as well as our professional lives? Raja tackles this question on today’s edition of “The Raja Show”, as he talks with two successful leaders about what they do to ensure that education does NOT stop at graduation. First, Raja talks with Simin Curtis, the President and CEO of the American Middle East Institute (AMEI), a Pittsburgh-based organization dedicated to building economic and commercial ties between the U.S. and the Middle East. Simin discusses the mission of the organization, as well as some of the exciting events the AMEI is putting together, including a presentation featuring Colin Powell on October 29. Raja also spends time with one of the most charismatic CEO’s you’ll ever hear, Atul Bansal, the CEO of TimeSys, who discusses how his education from one of the finest IT schools in India prepared him for future successes down the road.