Most people think building a business is about making more money.

They’re wrong.

Revenue does not equal wealth. Growth does not equal freedom. And scaling does not automatically make life easier.

In this episode of the Two Stunads Podcast, we unpack what actually happens when a business starts growing fast—and why so many entrepreneurs feel more pressure, more anxiety, and more financial stress even as the numbers climb.

This conversation pulls back the curtain on the side of entrepreneurship that rarely gets talked about: cash flow realities, tax pressure, debt, reinvestment decisions, slow seasons, and the mental load that never shuts off. If you’ve ever asked yourself why the bank balance doesn’t match the effort you’re putting in, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.

We talk about why many business owners stay “broke on paper” despite doing millions in revenue, how money flows in and out faster than most people realize, and why the illusion of success on social media hides the real cost of running a company. This is especially relevant for contractors, blue-collar operators, service providers, and founders building real businesses—not lifestyle brands.

The episode dives deep into:

• Why cash flow matters more than revenue

• How taxes quietly crush unprepared entrepreneurs

• The difference between profit and personal income

• Why reinvesting back into the business often delays personal wealth

• The emotional and mental toll of being responsible for payroll, overhead, and survival

• Why slow seasons create panic even in “successful” companies

• How relationships beat sales tactics over the long term

• When taking less profit today leads to more leverage tomorrow

We also break down the truth about private equity and why outside money isn’t always the win it looks like. Many founders don’t realize what they’re giving up until control, culture, and decision-making start disappearing. This conversation explains why some businesses resist private equity entirely—and how long-term relationships and reputation can become a stronger growth engine than capital.

There’s also an honest discussion around entrepreneurship and personal life. How building something from nothing often requires sacrifices no one warns you about. How stress bleeds into relationships. How the “grind” mentality can eventually work against you. And why learning to transition from operator to leader is one of the hardest shifts a founder will ever make.

This episode is for:

• Business owners feeling pressure behind the scenes

• Entrepreneurs stuck in survival mode

• Contractors and operators riding seasonal cash flow

• Founders questioning their next move

• Anyone tired of fake success stories and empty motivation

If you’re looking for surface-level hype, this isn’t it.

If you want an honest look at what it really takes to build, scale, and survive in business—this episode delivers.

Subscribe to the Two Stunads Podcast for raw conversations about business, money, leadership, pressure, and growth—without filters, fake gurus, or recycled advice.

👉 Don't forget to connect with us!

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@twostunadspodcast

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/twostunadspodcast

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/twostunadspodcast

TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@twostunadspodcast

Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/6oYcVPU7oavbDvTBFUDV1w

Apple Podcast — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-two-stunads/id1847474765

iHeart Radio — https://iheart.com/podcast/301519003/

Pandora — https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-2-stunads/PC:1001110212

Audible — https://www.audible.com/podcast/The-Two-Stunads/B0FXG1DKL8?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Most people think scaling means losing what made you human. Dr. A.J. Acierno proves that’s a lie.

In this episode of the Two Stunads Podcast, we sit down with Dr. A.J. Acierno—Chief Dental Officer overseeing 600+ dental offices, CEO of DecisionOne Dental, TEDx speaker, and a rare healthcare leader willing to say what most won’t:

Healthcare has lost its soul.

A.J. grew up in Chicago with a biology book in his hands and a deep belief in community, trust, and relationships. Today, he leads massive clinical operations without sacrificing warmth, humanity, or ethics—something most people assume is impossible at scale.

We get into:

— Why trust must be earned in the first three minutes

— How scaling usually kills culture—and how he avoided it

— The brutal reality of insurance-driven healthcare

— Why AI will replace doctors who refuse to adapt

— Leadership, family, and keeping your soul while growing

— What healthcare gets wrong about patients, providers, and incentives

This isn’t influencer medicine.

This isn’t corporate fluff.

This is a real conversation about trust, leadership, and fixing what’s broken—from someone who’s actually done the work.

👇 Drop a comment:

Can healthcare scale without losing its humanity—or is that the tradeoff?

— Trust & leadership

— Healthcare systems & insurance

— AI in medicine & dentistry

— Culture at scale

— Family, community & values

— Business without losing your soul

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@twostunadspodcast

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/twostunadspodcast

TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@twostunadspodcast

Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/6oYcVPU7oavbDvTBFUDV1w

Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-two-stunads/id1847474765

If you think you can survive the trades without discipline, Alessandro Porcelli explains how that ends.

In this episode of the Two Stunads Podcast, we sit down with Alessandro Porcelli, owner of Porcelli Trucking & Concrete, a Chicago-area concrete contractor and trucking business owner, to break down what it truly takes to build a blue-collar construction business from the ground up.

Alessandro Porcelli grew up working concrete jobs in Bloomingdale and surrounding Chicago suburbs, learning the concrete trade the hard way—washing tools, pushing wheelbarrows, and working long days before most people ever think about business ownership.

With no college, no advertising, and no shortcuts, Alessandro Porcelli built Porcelli Trucking & Concrete into a referral-only concrete and trucking company, servicing residential and commercial construction projects across the Chicagoland area.

Alessandro breaks down the mental toughness required to run concrete crews, the real costs of trucking, fuel, equipment, and repairs, and why most people fail in the construction and trades industry before they ever build momentum.

If you work in concrete, construction, trucking, or the skilled trades, this episode is a real look at what blue-collar entrepreneurship actually demands.

Key moments:

— Why most people quit the concrete and construction trades

— Discipline vs motivation in blue-collar work

— Running a concrete and trucking business without ads

— Mistakes that cost money in construction

— Why comfort kills growth in the trades

Drop a comment: Is discipline more important than motivation in construction—or do you need both?

#TwoStunadsPodcast #AlessandroPorcelli #ConcreteContractor #TruckingBusiness #Construction #BlueCollar #Trades #ChicagoBusiness #Entrepreneurship #WorkEthic

00:00 When Failure Isn’t an Option | Alessandro Porcelli Joins Two Stunads

04:30 Growing Up on Concrete Job Sites

09:10 Begging to Go to Work as a Kid

14:05 Wheelbarrows, Sweat & Learning the Trade the Hard Way

18:50 Third-Generation Concrete & Family Pressure

23:40 When the Family Business Shut Down

28:30 Five Years That Replaced College

33:20 Starting a Concrete Company at 24

38:10 The First Truck That Changed Everything

43:15 Getting a CDL Without School

48:10 Why Trucking Saved the Concrete Business

53:30 Door-to-Door Hustle, Snow Plowing & Early Clients

58:45 Running 8–10 Jobs a Week

1:04:20 Building a Business With Your Wife

1:09:50 Why Referral-Only Businesses Still Win

1:15:10 Underbidding Jobs & Learning the Hard Way

1:20:30 Walking Away From Bad Customers

1:26:05 Why Most Young Workers Quit the Trades

1:31:40 The True Cost of Trucks, Fuel & Repairs

1:37:10 Family, Sacrifice & Being a Provider

1:43:00 Why He Refuses to Scale Bigger

1:48:40 Comfort vs Ownership

1:54:10 Authenticity, Respect & Reputation

1:59:30 Trades vs College: The Hard Truth

2:05:10 Discipline Is the Foundation

2:10:00 Final Advice: Built, Not Bought

👉 Don't forget to connect with us!

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@twostunadspodcast

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/twostunadspodcast

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/twostunadspodcast

TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@twostunadspodcast

Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/6oYcVPU7oavbDvTBFUDV1w

Apple Podcast — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-two-stunads/id1847474765

iHeart Radio — https://iheart.com/podcast/301519003/

Pandora — https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-2-stunads/PC:1001110212

Audible — https://www.audible.com/podcast/The-Two-Stunads/B0FXG1DKL8?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

If you think you can “just show up” and win, Bobby Hitz is here to tell you how that ends.

In this episode of the Two Stunads Podcast, Chicago boxing legend Bobby Hitz (Golden Gloves champ, former pro heavyweight, long-running promoter of Hitz Boxing) breaks down the moments that shaped his entire life—especially the one he’d take back in a heartbeat: taking a George Foreman fight on four days notice with zero training.

Bobby gets brutally honest about regret, preparation, mental toughness, and why failure isn’t the end—it’s the tuition. He also dives into mentorship, reinvention, and why today’s “instant gratification” culture creates people who overpromise and underdeliver.

If you’re building anything—business, career, life—this conversation is a masterclass in discipline, relationships, and resilience.

Key moments:

— “Plan your work, work your plan.”

— Why you can’t win if you don’t know how to lose

— How one bad decision created a lifetime of opportunity

— Mentors, fight psychology, and reinventing yourself

— Why loyalty and relationships are real wealth

Drop a comment: Is structure more important than motivation—or do you need both?

#TwoStunadsPodcast #BobbyHitz #Boxing #Chicago #Entrepreneurship #Discipline #Mentorship #SuccessMindset

00:00 Chicago Boxing Legend Bobby Hitz Joins Two Stunads

04:45 Why You Must Learn How to Lose to Win

09:30 Dropping Out of School & Choosing Entrepreneurship

14:16 Fighting George Foreman on 4 Days Notice

18:55 “I’d Give the Money Back” – The Cost of No Preparation

22:40 Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan

26:30 Turning One Bad Decision Into Opportunity

31:10 Detroit, Kronk Gym & Learning From Boxing Legends

36:45 From Fighter to Promoter: Reinventing Yourself

42:20 Why Mentors Matter More Than Motivation

48:05 Instant Gratification Is Creating Nobodies

54:10 Create Your Value or You’ll Be Replaced

1:00:40 The Brutal Reality of the Restaurant Business

1:07:55 Owning the Building vs Paying Rent

1:13:40 Customer Entitlement, Reviews & Social Media

1:21:30 Relationship Capital Is Real Wealth

1:28:10 Boxing Psychology & Mental Toughness

1:35:00 The Truth About Fighters, Promotion & Accountability

1:43:30 Acting, Film & Reinventing Later in Life

1:51:20 Giving Back, Charity & Doing the Right Thing

1:58:00 What Success Really Means Today

2:05:30 Final Advice: Create Your Value

From Uber driver to flipping 30+ houses a year in Chicago — Aram Ghazaryan’s rise in real estate is unreal. In this raw, no-BS conversation, Aram breaks down exactly how he built a profitable house-flipping business from scratch without wealthy parents, connections, or “guru” shortcuts.

Whether you're flipping your first house, trying to raise private money, or looking to scale your real estate business, this episode is PACKED with strategy, mindset, and the real numbers behind success.

🔥 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• How Aram went from Uber & cold-calling to 30+ flips a year

• The first deals that nearly broke him — and what he learned

• The truth about Chicago real estate & contractor management

• How he raises private money (his exact framework)

• Why most new flippers fail in their first 5 deals

• Real margins, timelines & hidden risks nobody talks about

• The systems he built to scale a lean flipping operation

• The difference between rehabbing and “lipstick-on-a-pig” disasters

• How beginners can start TODAY without rich parents or big savings

This is one of the most actionable deep dives into real estate investing you’ll find anywhere.

🎙️ WHO IS ARAM GHAZARYAN?

A Chicago real estate investor, operator, and educator flipping 30+ homes a year while helping new investors break into the industry the right way — without hype, gimmicks, or guru fluff.

📌 Follow Aram:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/aramgrealty

Education / Mentorship – https://www.builtforprofit.biz/apply

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 – Cold open: “Lipstick on a pig will burn you every time”

00:40 – Welcome to Two Stunads & today’s game plan

02:20 – Meet Aram: 21-year-old hustler in Chicago real estate

06:05 – From Armenia to Schaumburg: poverty, parents & pressure to succeed

10:50 – Criminal justice, engineering… and flunking his way into business

13:00 – Getting bamboozled by his first brokerage & paying 56% of every check

17:15 – Cracking six figures & jumping into his first flip in Elk Grove

24:30 – Selling cars at 17, spotting hustlers early & meeting his GC partner

31:00 – How he actually analyzes a flip (real numbers, no fluff)

36:40 – Tired landlords, data lists & why mail still works in 2025

44:15 – Raising private money: 50K chunks, 12% returns & protecting investors

52:40 – Why most “gurus” are full of it & what his Real Estate Business Academy really does

60:30 – Flips vs rentals, Illinois tenant laws & why he sold all his rentals

69:40 – Interest rates, holding costs & when he’s willing to take a loss

78:10 – Cars, watches & why they don’t actually make you happy

86:30 – Dating as a successful investor: gold diggers & “strong dependent women”

93:20 – Holiday party networking, building real connections (not cringey “networking events”)

99:10 – Delegation, bottlenecks & what’s next: commercial, coffee shops & exits

#RealEstateInvesting #ChicagoRealEstate #HouseFlipping #AramGhazaryan #PrivateMoney #RealEstateTips #EntrepreneurPodcast #TwoStunadsPodcast