The Small Business Horsepower Podcast www.smallbusinesshorsepower.com

Episode 43- Howard & Steven Silverstein

For Long Island, New York-based entrepreneurial brothers Howard and Steven Silverstein, a fueling issue during a day on the water led to an a-ha moment that inspired an invention: the CLiX. Designed to prevent fuel spills, wasted gas and messy cleanups, the CLiX is a one-click spill prevention system for gasoline and diesel boats – a $39.95 funnel-shaped secure attachment that keeps every drop of fuel in the boat tank. With its custom-blended, biodegradable rubberized material and patent-pending technology, the CLiX is safe for users and the environment, helping boaters fuel up without the fuel ever overflowing onto the vessel or into the water.“I remember when my brother, Steven, asked me to come out on his boat for a day on the water. We had never been to the boat and were very excited about it. When we got there, it turned out that Steven had not been able to fuel it up that day as he normally would for company,” Howard said about the March 2024 outing at the Huntington Yacht Club in New York. “So, there I was, standing with him on the fuel dock while he fueled his boat up. He was calling out to his wife about the fuel level, and she was calling back. It was obvious that this was not like filling a car. It was stressful. I did not know that filling a boat was this difficult.” Steven explained the fueling dilemma to Howard, who examined the problem and instantly came up with a solution. “I sketched it out, and the unit you see now looks almost exactly like what I drew that day,” Howard said. Because Steven’s fueling  problem was not unique to him, Howard knew he was on to something marketable with his invention. In October 2024, the CLiX officially launched at the IBEX show in Tampa, Florida. The positive feedback has been due, in part, to the fact that there is no other product on the market that does what the CLiX does. “It keeps the fuel in the fill tube and tank where it belongs,” Howard said. “It allows the fueling nozzle to activate the same way it does when filling a car, bringing that level of ease and eliminating all the stress of fueling.”  The Silversteins are currently working with select marinas for them to sell directly to their customers and for use by staff as they fuel boats. “We have programs where the marinas can act as either affiliates, receiving a commission for every CLiX sold through our site, or as partners where they buy at a reseller price and sell direct to their marina clients,” Howard said. They are also working on sponsoring programs at marinas. The pair has brought on new partner Greg Friedman to assist with these initiatives. “The programs are focused on the environmental impact of boating and what we all can do to help,” Howard saidT he Silversteins pointed to how marinas can benefit from utilizing the CLiX. “Few spills to clean up means less reporting and less possibility of code violations,” Howard said. “By acting as good stewards of the water around their docks, they keep it free of fuel, creating a healthy environment for the marine life, which marina owners and boaters care so much about." The CLiX won a coveted Innovation Award for 2024 at the IBEX show, and it was also featured at the New York Boat Show and the Miami Boat Show. Garnering these accolades has been a professional coup for the Silversteins, who have both thrived in various business positions throughout their careers. Howard is already working on several other innovative ideas that may continue to help boaters have tranquil experiences on the water.

 

Episode 42-Aron Nathanson

Aron Nathanson is Chief Operating Officer of GullyCricket, A fantasy sports betting company.  Aron built a software company to five million in revenue and sold it for 20 million dollars, and in the process created product management, customer care and sales teams.  He created a partnering program with 250+partners, 4 startups resulting in two sales in his career.

Episode 41-Elizabeth McCormick

Elizabeth McCormick  had a decorated career as a decorated US Army Black Hawk Helicopter Pilot winning military awards including the coveted Army Aviator Wings, and the Congressional Veteran Commendation. She subsequently built a career in small business, named one of the top 30 motivational speakers in the world, and one of the top 5 Leadership experts to follow online.  She presents to her listeners the P.I.L.O.T Method which highlight the 5 elemental truths to being a better leader.

Episode 40- Rob Braiman

Rob Braiman has a long-standing reputation as a “serial entrepreneur” and has spent over 19 years working directly with business owners to improve strategic planning, operations, growth, and profitability.

Rob Braiman founded Cogent Analytics after spending over 10 years as a senior business analyst helping to improve and build main street businesses across the country. He has personally engaged with over 1500 businesses across the United States, and continues to work to further the interests of other business owners like himself.

Episode 39- Jennifer Brazer

Founder and CEO of Complete Controller, a leading national business services firm, Jennifer Brazer believes that businesses and households alike should have access to excellent financial data to fuel their critical decisions. Founded in 2007, Complete Controller has become the turnkey client accounting services (CAS) department for CPA firms and small businesses across the country, allowing them to tap into single sign-on access to all of their client's books and records, standardized managed account practices, and unlimited bookkeeping talent.

Her book, From Cubicle to Cloud, tells entrepreneurs about her journey, methods, and virtualized business model that has proven successful and shifts client accounting services from a loss leader to an essential part of the firm.

An avid supporter of entrepreneurs, Jennifer is well respected in the CPA community and has become a major social media influencer.  She speaks to incubators, students, and associations, and has a particular passion for women in business.

Episode 38- Andrew Hartman, THE TIME BOSS

Andrew Hartman started Time Boss  a simple system designed to help time-strapped business leaders and their teams find their highest sustainable pace while maintaining their mental health. Andrew started his career as a Project Manager and then served as a COO for Tech and Software startups for nearly 2 decades.  Andrew developed the Time Boss system after years of anxiety and burning out himself several times over, even losing his sense of smell for a season. He is now helping people transform their relationship with time via upgraded habits and a new mindset for a whole new way of living with peace, clarity and freedom. He is passionate about helping as many people as he can to find 'peaceful progress' in their daily life.

Episode 37-Marianne Boules

Founder & CEO Marianne Boules is an experienced professional excelling in the intersection of public policy, social impact, and technical writing. She has both her bachelor's and master's degrees in Public Policy, where she graduated at the top of her undergraduate class and received a full scholarship toward her master's program. Recognized for her expertise, Marianne has been featured on various podcasts and education platforms, illustrating her overarching mission to "helping the helper" launch, scale, and fund their impact-based programs.

Episode 36- Dave Newell

Dave Newell is the President and Founder of Evolve Leadership Consulting.  His key focus is in transforming small business with the Five Facets of Business framework  for exceptional alignment and success. For over 11 years , Dave has guided, coached, and implemented the innovative process ,which fosters team cohesion around culture, strategy, operations , story and finances.  Dave is on a mission to "align the misaligned" -connecting leaders with systems that foster outstanding work and personal fulfillment.  https://theevolvedifference.com/sbh; 

Episode 35 - Gary and Lori Parker

Gary and Lori Parker have been delighting hundreds of WineSellar Wine Club members since 1984 with personally-selected, hard-to-find domestic, international wines and wine tasting trips around the world.  What makes it exciting is that aside from the wine club they own a award winning restaurant The WineSellar & Brasserie located in the heart of San Diego as well as a wine shop, winner of the Wine Spectator Grand Award of Excellence and a wine storage facility which is the anchor of their business.

Episode 34- Tim Gosselin ”Simulcast”

Tim Gosselin who came on Episode 32, comes back again this time to interview me on his You Tube based podcast.  I decided to simulcast it here for our Small Business Horsepower listeners to learn more about the host.  Also, it's a great two way conversation in which we probe each other for answers and solutions facing Small Business Owners and the long travelled road to success.