THE STERN TRUTH: Business Unfiltered
The Stern Truth: Business Unfiltered is the no-BS podcast for overwhelmed small business owners & entrepreneurs who are tired of the noise, the hype, and the so-called “experts” telling them how to grow their business. Hosted by Marshall Stern, a seasoned business owner and coach with over 35 years of experience, this podcast cuts through the confusion to bring you real, practical advice that actually works.
If you feel stuck, exhausted, and like you’re doing it all alone—this is for you. Each episode delivers honest conversations, actionable strategies, and straight talk about what it really takes to grow and lead a thriving business. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just The Stern Truth you need to move forward with confidence.
It's time to stop spinning your wheels and start leading your business like the unstoppable force you are.
Episodes
77 episodes
Ep. 77 The Stern Truth: The Power of Deeper Questions With Karli Grove
Business can be deep, and Karli Grove is here to prove it. For episode 77, I have Karli Grove of Kantency Consulting as my guest. Katency is a consulting firm that focuses on organizational change. As Karli puts it, 180 changes are ...
Ep. 76 The Stern Truth: How to Build Sustainable Growth With Katie Eberman
“Simply by Katie” is what Katie Eberman goes by online. What she does in her business and her journey as an entrepreneur, however, is anything but simple.Like most of us entrepreneurs, she had a persistent idea—supporting small businesse...
Ep. 75 The Stern Truth: Leveraging LinkedIn in Just 15 Minutes with Ashley Leeds
My guest on this episode is Ashley Leeds, known as The 15 Minute Guy, and, wow, just wow. Ashley dropped so many insights about LinkedIn that I could not wait to get this episode out.Ashley joins me from Devon, England, and he helps foun...
Ep. 74 The Stern Truth: Is Your Business Serving Your Life?
This episode is shorter but still impactful. It’s a solo episode because I’ve had wonderful guests lately. But this one asks the question, Is your business serving your life?As always, grab a paper and pen. Write down the question, Is my...
Ep. 73 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday with Earl Thomas
It’s another Business Therapy Thursday, and this one might hit home for anyone who has ever second-guessed their pricing. I sit down with Earl Thomas, host of the VOICE POWER podcast, and we have an honest and energizing deep dive into pricing ...
Ep. 72 The Stern Truth: The Missing E in STRAT GY With Daria Ionescu
Daria Ionescu knows strategy. She actually started off her career with in-house marketing. A little bit of branding, digital marketing, and some social media. What she found was missing in all of this was the real strategy behind it, so she sta...
Ep. 71 The Stern Truth: What is Your MORE With Denise Frenette
Denise Frenette is all about the “more.” She’s not specifically about having more things and having more nice dinners (which she admits she does love). The "more" that Denise is talking about is the balance between running a business and having...
Ep. 70 The Stern Truth: How Resilience and Teamwork Drive Business Growth With Stephanie Lehr
Business ownership is a spectrum. A business owner and an entrepreneur are not the same. I drop these golden nuggets, and more, on Stephanie Lehr’s new podcast, The Stephanie Lehr Show (which is episode 70 of The Stern Truth.)Stephanie i...
Ep. 69 The Stern Truth: The Oi's of Business & Leadership With Kim Long
Kim Long is my guest on this episode of the Stern Truth. As a registered psychologist in Alberta with a teaching background, Kim was inspired by her family of helpers to get into the field of psychology, despite some “oi’s” along the way, Covid...
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Ep. 68 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday with David Wallace
We’re back with another Business Therapy Thursday, and this one is extra special. David Wallace, owner of Around the Block Butcher & Market in Ottawa, was first featured on Episode 23. We talked about his incredible entrepreneurial journey ...
Ep. 67 The Stern Truth: The Power of Being in Flow and Alignment with Melodie Dewsbury
Melodie Dewsbury is a passionate entrepreneur and founder of The Paper Fox Collective, a marketing agency in Mission, B.C. Her journey took her from entrepreneur to corporate life to teaching and back to entrepreneurship. This time around, she’...
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Ep. 66 The Stern Truth: Year of the Horse and Your Business Success
2026 is the year of the horse, so, of course, I have to revisit my story about going to a horseback riding ranch. The story in this episode might sound familiar, but believe me, it’s important, so it bears repeating.I was in a beautiful ...
Ep. 65 The Stern Truth: When and How to Grow Your Team with Tedi Bezna
Tedi Bezna is the proud owner of an all-woman marketing agency. Searchlight Digital specializes in SEO, Google Ads, website content, anything to get you searched. She’s had Searchlight for eight years and counting and is still growing.Li...
Ep. 64 The Stern Truth: Clarity Breeds Confidence as a Business Owner with Michael Morrison
There are a lot of business coaches, podcasters, mentors, and entrepreneurs out there. Michael Morrison has done all of it.Michael is a business coach, business loan officer, and podcaster from Oklahoma. His main goal is to get business ...
Ep. 63 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday with Steve Hayek
It’s another Business Therapy Thursday. This is a story so many small business owners will recognize. I sit down with Steve Hayek, a home inspector in year seven of his business, and he is still doing almost everything himself. He’s...
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Ep. 62 The Stern Truth: Close More Sales By Doing This
You’ve already seen the title. This episode is a DOOZY, I promise you. We always default back to spending, spending, spending on marketing. Facebook Ads, Google Ads, money on your storefront or your interior. But there’s a huge gap ...
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Ep. 61 The Stern Truth: From Click to Close: Why Marketing Alone Doesn’t Convert with Meghan Simington
As a Fractional CMO, Meghan helps clients make their marketing roadmaps on a part-time basis. She connects the dots between their CRMs, qualified leads, social media, and email marketing. From click to close, Meghan is there.She st...
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Ep. 60 The Stern Truth: How Business Development Can Help Your Business with Kelly Kennedy
Kelly Kennedy started his company, Capital Business Development, five years ago, and he hasn’t stopped since. As an expert in business development, he has the itch to talk about it—like so many of us podcasters, he started his own, the Business...
Ep. 59 The Stern Truth: How to Really Build and Grow Your Business
I’ve seen business owners throwing a lot of money at their marketing. But when prospects come to their door, their systems aren’t there. The experience doesn’t measure up to what was advertised.So how can we wow our customers SO much tha...
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Ep. 58 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday with Hanan Alameh
It’s been a while since our last Business Therapy Thursday session, but we’re back. Our guest on this episode is Hanan Alameh, who’s looking for guidance on where to take her business next and the steps to do it.Hanan has a luxury charcu...
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Ep. 57 The Stern Truth: Where is Your Hidden Revenue Opportunity? with Doug C. Brown
I sit down with Doug C. Brown of CEO Sales Strategies in this episode. He and I talk about how to increase your revenue and increase the growth trajectory of your business.He first started his business journey when he was a kid working w...
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Ep. 56 The Stern Truth: The Power of Failing Forward with Audree McIvor
Audree McIvor went from running a cannabis store to owning a counselling clinic. And this isn’t her first time around the business block - this is her third business, so she has a lot of golden nuggets to share.She’s quite comfortable wi...
Ep. 55 The Stern Truth: Improving Your Results With Your Own Inner Circle
What’s next for the new year? You’re probably thinking that every January. I have a suggestion for you that so many business owners don’t utilize. Would you like to improve your results this year? (You probably do.)Do you hav...
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Ep. 54 The Stern Truth: Two Styles. One Mission. Unstoppable Growth with Alison and David Setton
In this unique episode, I sit down with a dynamic duo, Alison and David Setton, who are not just business partners but life partners as well. For over 10 years, I've watched both of them navigate their entrepreneurial journeys, and ...
Ep. 53 The Stern Truth: Your Year in Review
Welcome to your year in review! In this episode, I encourage you to look back at the year, see what you achieved, or what you didn’t, and why that happened.Looking back is the only way that we can move forward. Even if you didn’t have a ...
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