Start Up
SUNDAYS 1:30/12:30c
Join host Gary Bredow as he travels from coast to coast interviewing small business owners to hear their fascinating personal stories and find out what it really takes to start a successful business from the ground up. Energetic, inspirational and educational, START UP is a fast paced series sure to capture the imagination and hearts of Americans who dream of starting their own business.
Episodes
Season 12
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Ampersand / Fort Worth, Texas
Ampersand / Fort Worth, Texas
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Desert Creek Honey / Blue Ridge, Texas
Desert Creek Honey /Blue Ridge, Texas
Season 11
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BAOBAB FARE / Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, Detroit, MI
Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, refugees turned restaurateurs, brought their dream to life with Baobab Fare in Detroit, serving vibrant Burundian cuisine. Their resilience is inspiring.
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Apogee Air / Josh and Valerie Clark, Waterford, MI
Meet Josh and Valerie Clark, a couple at a crossroads: buy a home or pursue their dream with Apogee Air, a flight training and pilot services company. Their choice would change their lives forever.
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Brian LeFeve / Brian LeFeve, St. Clair Shores, MI
Meet Brian LeFeve, who turned adversity into triumph. From a tough divorce and business failure, he emerged resilient, driven to rewrite his story. Now a life coach, he specializes in human optimization.
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East End Market / John Rife, Orlando, FL
John Rife, an Orlando investor, created East End Market, a vibrant food hall and market. His passion for small businesses shines through as he fosters growth and celebrates innovation. Witness the remarkable impact of his dedication.
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Sweets & Meats BBQ / Anton Gaffney and Kristen Bailey, OH
Kristen Bailey's gift of a BBQ smoker to Anton Gaffney changed their lives. Sweets and Meats, their food truck and catering business, has put Cincinnati's BBQ scene on the map. Get ready for a mouthwatering journey that will leave you hungry for more.
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Posies Flower Truck / David and Stephanie Frank, Tampa, FL
David and Stephanie Frank embraced a new chapter by acquiring a local flower truck business. Posie's Flower Truck, a captivating pop-up experience in Tampa Bay, lets you create stunning bouquets. Immerse yourself in their world of beauty, creativity, and fragrant blooms as they embrace their 'Act 2'.
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Birdy Boutique / Barbara Kent and Joanna Serra, Armada, MI
Barbara Kent and Joanna Serra, sisters from Poland, founded Birdy Boutique, a textile company making a difference in school fundraising. Their story of resilience and triumph will inspire you as dreams take flight.
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QRxLabs / Silvana Ameri and Alex Fedorowicz, Miami, FL
Silvana Ameri and Alex Fedorowicz pivoted their online clothing business into QRxLabs, a revolutionary skincare company. Witness their journey as they merge nature and science to disrupt the industry.
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Creations by Nathalie / Ricardo and Nathalie Valdes, Miami,
Nathalie Valdes turned her passion for building terrariums into Creations by Nathalie, a company offering DIY kits with handpicked succulents from South Florida. Witness her awe-inspiring journey of creating a flourishing family business and a legacy of generational wealth.
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Opnr / Dre Wallace, Grand Rapids, MI
Andrea 'Dre' Wallace is the CEO of Opnr, a groundbreaking entertainment marketplace empowering artists and amplifying their voices. Discover how Dre is reshaping the industry, giving artists the recognition and opportunities they deserve.
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CritterPro / Brian Payne, Jacksonville, FL
Brian Payne, founder of Critter Pro, is on a mission to help individuals facing wildlife-related issues. Discover his journey of overcoming challenges, from unwelcome critters to a difficult business partnership, as he creates a company that provides valuable services and fair wages to his employees.
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The Lip Bar: / Melissa Butler, Detroit, MI
Melissa Butler, founder of The Lip Bar, is revolutionizing the beauty industry. From being rejected on Shark Tank to building a national brand, witness her journey of resilience and breaking barriers. Discover how The Lip Bar challenges beauty standards and empowers individuals.
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Wolverine Pickleball / Leslie White and Christy Howden, MI
Leslie White and Christy Howden of Wolverine Pickleball are at the forefront of the sport's growth in Southeast Michigan. Discover how they created a positive outlet during the pandemic and transformed a small warehouse into a state-of-the-art Pickleball complex, with the support of their local community.
Season 10
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Valencia Key: Philadelphia, PA
From growing up in homeless shelters, to owning a brand that's sold on QVC, Lia Key overcame enormous obstacles to make her dream a reality. Lia is the founder of the Philadelphia based jewelry brand "Valencia Key", a company on a mission to help people believe in themselves and find their light.
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Hex Ferments: Baltimore, MD
Maegan Carpenter grew up canning with her family, but she never thought she'd turn fermenting foods into a career. After countless licensing and zoning challenges, she and her husband founded Hex Ferments, a successful company that uses traditional fermentation to preserve and transform local, organic ingredients into nourishing foods.
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The Rounds: Philadelphia, PA
Alex Torrey is a former CIA employee who founded The Rounds, a company that refills your nonperishable pantry items and picks up your empty containers. Like the modern-day milkman, but for sustainable staples. Focused on reducing waste and creating convenience, The Rounds are on their way to becoming a household name.
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Dream 1st Studios / Baltimore, MD
Don Trunk is a music producer dedicated to giving artists a space to be themselves and create music in a safe and comfortable environment. From recording music in his grandma’s basement to building a highly reputable full-service studio, Don is helping to make artists dreams come true.
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Surfsup / Portersville, PA
Ian Smith the owner of SurfSup, a company that offers guided standup whitewater Paddle Boarding tours and instruction. Ian turned four paddleboards and a vision into a successful company that mentors inner city youth through ecological education, Ian is doing well, by doing good.
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Essex Squeeze / Lower East Side, Manhattan NYC
Cedric Hernandez and Charles De La Cruz are the owners of Essex Squeeze, a juice bar that offers a healthy taste of New York City flavor. From running bridges in NYC to serving up delicious juice, Cedric and Charles are focused on helping people find a healthy balance through exercise and nutrition.
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Olde Towne Overhaul / New Kensington, PA
Mike Malcanas is the founder of Olde Towne Overhaul, a company on a mission to revive Downtown New Kensington and open doors for new business owners. Mike started with a vision of what “could be” for the city of New Kensington, and his efforts are changing the future of this Pennsylvania community.
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ConConnect / Harlem, NYC
Founded by Andre Peart, Conconnect is a company that has revolutionized the process of reentry by connecting formerly incarcerated people with services instantly. Going through the process himself, Andre recognized the challenges that were leading to high recidivism rates, and decided to create a system that would give the formerly incarcerated a real chance at successful re-entry.
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Churn Homemade Ice Cream and Coffee/ Gibsonia, PA
Churn is a business committed to coffee, community and delicious homemade ice cream. Founder Kelley Costa has overcome enormous health challenges to create a successful, multi-location homemade ice cream and coffee shop.
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Water Song / Baltimore, MD
Water Song is a restaurant that brings the traditions and flavors from founder Colin Liang’s hometown of Yunnan Province, China. Originally coming to America to study business, Colin’s life took a series of twists and turns that led him right back to his roots.
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Black and Mobile / Philadelphia, PA
David and Aaron Cabello are the founders of Black and Mobile, a food delivery company that is on a mission to help elevate underserved Black-owned businesses. Focused on businesses that are often overlooked, Black and Mobile provides them with the technology they need to not only expand their customer base and stay competitive in this rapid changing economy.
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Timbuk2 Academy / Trenton, NJ
Ayana Abdul-Raheem, the founder of Timbuk2 Academy, a private, independent institution that offers high-quality holistic, arts and education and personal development programs for girls/young ladies ages 9-22. Ayana has committed herself to teaching young ladies that they are born worthy, unleashing their full potential through amazing experiences and life-based education.
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Module / Pittsburgh, PA
Brian Gaudio and Drew Brisley founded Module, a company that builds customizable, energy efficient Modular homes. Brian had a dream of combating the housing crisis with quality-controlled housing built in a fraction of the time of traditional construction. With Module, Brian and Drew are seeing that vision come to life.
Season 9
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Tru Colors Brewery / Wilmington, NC
After witnessing a drive-by shooting in his community of Wilmington, North Carolina, George Taylor decided to take action. He started Tru Colors Brewery, whose mission is to unite and create understanding between rival gangs in order to better their community. Episode 901
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Vertical Roots / Charleston, SC
Two high school friends, Andrew Hare and Matt Daniels had a dream to bring healthy, local produce to South Carolina. Vertical Roots has since grown into the largest hydroponic container farm in the US producing year-round leafy greens and produce all throughout the United States. Episode 902
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Sea Love Sea Salt / Burgaw, NC
Amanda and Dave Jacobs loved the beach so much they wanted to bring it home with them. After experimenting with a variety of methods, they finally found a way to turn Wrightsville Beach into a delicious salt perfect for cooking and created their own business, Sea Love Sea Salt Co. Episode 903
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Amphibian Air / Savannah, GA
Dave Myers was in Hawaii on vacation when a canceled scuba trip led him to “Trike Flying.” This life-altering experience set Dave on a mission to create Amphibian Air, a company that invites the public to ride and pilot a FAA certified amphibious trike over the waters of Savannah, Georgia. Episode 904
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Genesis Block / Wilmington, NC
Tracey and Girard Newkirk believe that every community needs a place to collaborate and create together. Genesis Block provides not only coworking spaces, but also an Entrepreneur Academy with small business courses for all backgrounds and ANZA, a platform that pairs minority and women owned businesses with anchor institutions and prime contractors. Episode 905
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Yaupon Wellness Company / Savannah, GA
Lou Thomann and Lori Judge took a vacation to Ossabaw Island where they were introduced to the Yaupon Holly tree. After experiencing the tea made from the Yaupon’s leaves, Lou was hooked and spent the next three years researching until finally launching The Yaupon Tea Company in hopes of sharing the health benefits of tea with world. Episode 906
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Bitty and Beau’s Coffee / Wilmington, NC
The Wrights are the proud parents of four children. Their two youngest, Bitty and Beau, have Down Syndrome. The Wrights opened their first Bitty & Beau Coffee in Wilmington, NC, a place they hoped would teach acceptance and inclusion. Today, Bitty & Beau is a franchise business that has grown to several locations across the US and employs hundreds of people with disabilities.
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Big Bon Family / Savannah, GA
What started out as a pizza food truck has grown and developed into so much more. From pizza to bagels, Big Bon’s core mission is to teach its team members business and life skills through a variety of experiences around great foods. Episode 908
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Mother Trucker Yoga / Hartford, WI
Hope has been doing yoga for 17 years and has seen first-hand the physical and mental health benefits it can provide. Mother Trucker Yoga provides fitness guidance to a market otherwise forgotten, drivers. Through short, easily accessible videos, Hope aspires to help drivers get moving wherever they may be. Episode 909
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Charleston Shoe Co. / Charleston, SC
Through Neely Powell’s entrepreneurial spirit, what started out as a shoe wholesale business became so much more. After attending Savannah College of Art & Design, she collaborated with a cobbler in Mexico and formed Charleston Shoe Co., a business that provides women with comfortable and stylish shoes in stores all around the US. Episode 910
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End of Days Distillery / Wilmington, NC
After years of brewing at home, Shane and Beth Faulkner decided to take the plunge and open their own distillery. End of Days Distillery provides Wilmington with fine small batch spirits and an opportunity to tour the distillery and experience how it’s all made. Episode 911
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One of a Find Charleston / Charleston, SC
After growing bored with the furniture in her family home, Courtney Bukowsky decided to take matters into her own hands by slowly selling all of their household furniture, using the money she made to replace the items with vintage pieces that she loved. Episode 912
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The Tiny Tassel / Charleston, SC
Mimi turned her creative hobby of earring design into a full jewelry and accessory brand with the Tiny Tassel. Inspired by the colors and sites of Charleston, South Carolina, The Tiny Tassel includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, garments and more each named after a special street or place within Charleston. Episode 913