AmiSights

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we welcome John Corcoran , Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Rise25 , who shares his expertise on using podcasts as a tool for building meaningful relationships and driving business success. "As we move forward, if not right now, we're not going to be able to tell what is real and what is fake online. Connecting with people in a genuine way, whether it's in person or through a podcast, is going to be crucial in the years ahead." The three

A few months ago, I met an incredible woman at an industry conference. Her bank had just been sold, and she was facing one of those career-defining moments: take a package or step into the unknown. Over the months that followed, I spent countless hours mentoring and coaching her—listening, advising, and encouraging. There were zero expectations. No agenda. Just being me and trying to help someone navigate a tough season. And now, in one of those moments that reminds you why l

"Imagine looking back one day and realizing you were brave enough to chase the life you truly wanted—and it worked." Not because everything was perfect. Not because you had all the answers. But because you decided to move anyway. You took the risk before yo u felt ready. You trusted yourself when the outcome wasn’t guaranteed. You chose discomfort over regret, growth over staying safe, and hope over fear. At the time, it probably felt messy. Uncertain. Maybe even a little ter

I recently spoke with a prospect who runs a highly profitable, successful business and wants to grow through acquisitions. He plans to finance them with a bank—which makes sense. What he wanted to skip was the bank underwriting each individual deal. That’s not realistic. And more importantly, it’s not smart. What is  realistic is setting yourself up with the right bank in advance: building the relationship, putting a line of credit in place, and getting the bank aligned with

With constant temptations such as checking email, looking at your phone and other distractions, it’s not surprising that the average attention span on a single task has shrunk to less than a minute over the past two decades. While technological distractions are only going to increase, scientists say the lost focus can be rebuilt by taking deliberate steps. One place to start is planning demanding work around your body’s natural rhythms of alertness and fatigue. During these “

Entrepreneurs wear a lot of hats. But one of the most important—and most overlooked—is the discernment hat. The one that asks a simple question before trusting anyone in a deal: Who do you really represent? This matters a lot when business brokers and advisors enter the picture. Most buyers don’t fully understand how business brokers work. In the vast majority of transactions, the broker represents the seller. The seller pays the commission. And despite common assumptions, it

After slashing expectations last spring when President Trump announced unprecedented tariffs, economists have changed course on growth. When Trump announced import tariffs last April, a group of economists regularly surveyed by The Wall Street Journal  slashed their forecasts for economic growth in 2025 from over 2% to 0.8%. The economists now forecast 2.3% gross domestic product growth for 2025 and 2.2% for 2026. So, what changed their minds? First of all, many tariffs were

"Hot take: quitting your worst habit will change your life faster than starting your best habit. Stop the leak before you fill the bucket." To get out of bad habits, most people focus on adding better tools. But if there’s a leak in the system, all that effort drains out faster than it goes in. You can wake up at 5 a.m., journal daily, and do the Whole30 diet, but if you’re still doom-scrolling for hours, procrastinating hard conversations, or numbing stress with habits you k

Choosing to leave your bank is a tough decision for any owner. Not because it’s dramatic, but because it’s emotional, practical, and often tied to years — sometimes decades — of shared history. I am currently working with a manufacturing company that has been with the same bank for 25 years. It’s a long, stable relationship built over multiple business cycles—but you can probably guess where this is going. Three years ago, the bank was acquired by a much larger institution. O

Effective February 28, 2026, the SBA will eliminate the SBSS score requirement for SBA loans under $350,000. While the SBA hasn’t fully explained its reasoning, the change deserves a balanced look. I’ve never been a strong supporter of the SBSS score. A meaningful part of the model relies on business credit data that is often inaccurate, incomplete, or unavailable for smaller companies. Borrowers were frequently judged using data they couldn’t see, verify, or fix. That lack o

In this edition of the AmiSights Podcast, Aaron Lee , Certified Growth Coach at Bloom Growth , shares his journey from being an accidental entrepreneur to navigating the challenges of running a marketing agency, especially during the pandemic. He discusses the importance of relationships in business, the fragility of marketing agencies, and the lessons learned from selling his business. Aaron also reflects on finding his passion after exiting and offers valuable advice for t

With credit-card interest rates averaging around 23% and going up to 36% for consumers with lower credit scores, President Trump wants to put a temporary cap on rates. In an effort to ease economic pressures on American households, Trump has called for a one-year 10% cap to begin Jan. 20, the Wall Street Journal reports .  While the move could save Americans billions in interest, it could also lead to tightened access to credit. The card industry warns that many people, espec

Once upon a time, kids wanted pizza. Maybe chicken nuggets. Now? They want sushi. Expensive sushi. A recent Wall Street Journal article  by Chavie Lieber reveals how kids’ love for sushi is turning into a surprising budget drain for families. What starts as a harmless California roll quickly turns into weekly sushi nights with bills that can hit $100 or more. Kids love the flavors and the fun presentation. Parents, meanwhile, are wondering how raw fish became a childhood stap

Early in the Trump administration, the SBA changed a long-standing rule: instead of requiring 51% U.S. citizen ownership to qualify for an SBA loan, businesses now had to be 100% U.S.-owned. On paper it sounded minor. In reality, it caused real disruption—especially in immigrant and mixed-ownership communities. I saw strong, tax-paying businesses suddenly shut out of SBA financing because a small ownership stake didn’t fit the new rule. Not because they were risky borrowers,

“Forgive yourself for not knowing earlier what only time could teach.”  This quote serves as the perfect reminder that clarity doesn’t come on day one. It comes after trying, after missing things, after learning the hard way. Every decision you made was based on who you were and what you knew at that moment. The insight you have now is earned, not something you could have rushed. Growth starts when you stop judging your past self and start honoring how far you’ve come. Contac