First It Was Your Kids….Now, Your Business is Going “Back to School”

On this week’s edition of “Your American Story” Radio, we feature a pair of guests who will help you get your business off the ground, and more importantly, will help you KEEP it off the ground.

First, Raja talks with Valerie Voss, tax manager with Wilke and Associates CPA, who offers some expert advice on how to get your business in optimal shape as Fall approaches.  She’ll discuss some of the key to-do’s when it comes to assessing your business structure, reviewing your retirement planning strategy, calculating your basis, and examining the new tax credits that are in place for 2014.

-Next, Raja goes one-on-one with one of the leading advocates for entrepreneurship in the United States, David Meadows, the President of the United States Center For Entrepreneurship (USCFE).

Meadows is a serial entrepreneur whose startup resume features some incredible successes (including Mimeo.com, one of the first online print/copy services) and some interesting failures.  As President of the USCFE, he oversees an online network of some of the foremost entrepreneurial leaders in the country, who provide education, support and guidance to entrepreneurs of all levels of skill and experience, from “wannabe” entrepreneurs to seasoned professionals.  He has established the USCFE as THE premier place to go online for any business owner to get the resources necessary to start and grow a business.

Her Pretzels Aren’t the Only Thing With a Twist: Inside the Tumultuous Life and Unparalleled Success of “Auntie” Anne Beiler

For Anne Beiler, it started in the heart of Amish country, Gap, Pennsylvania, with a dream to be a singer, along with her sisters, in a musical trio.  Along the way, she figured she would become a wife and a mother.  And that was it.

Growing up as one of eight children, Anne’s role in the family was that of baker and bread maker.  Through her first job as a waitress, she learned about the importance of good customer service, and through a later job at a farmer’s market, she learned how to roll dough into pretzels in the soft, doughy style of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

But in 1975, tragedy struck her and her husband, Jonas, as their second daughter, Angela (a toddler) was killed in a freak accident involving a tractor Anne’s older sister had been driving. To cope with the grief, Anne sought a local pastor for counsel, a trust that was violated through over six years of sexual abuse, not only to Anne, but also her sisters and best friend.

With no sign of hope on the horizon in her own life, her and Jonas decided to use their devotion to faith and charity by opening a free family counseling center in their community.  To help support this venture, Anne started a side business using one particular skill she had tucked away for years, and in 1987, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels was born.

Since that time, you’ve no doubt seen her company’s ubiquitous presence (1,200 locations and growing) in malls, shopping centers, airports, retail stores and supermarkets throughout America.  But what you may not have seen is that yes, her and Jonas DID build the Family Resource and Counseling Center in Gap, Pennsylvania, and have continued to use proceeds from Auntie Anne’s Pretzels to build the Center’s facility to include a library, church, gymnasium, cafe, day care center, and center for the elderly.

Giving back has always been at the core of Anne Beiler’s entrepreneurial efforts, as is her unwavering faith, in spite of all she has endured.  On this episode, she shares her remarkable story live with Raja on an episode of Your American Story that you really can’t afford to miss.