Trailer - Why 'No' is the Biggest Motivator for Success

Welcome to Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store — where entrepreneurship collides with marriage, kids, community, and a whole lot of controlled chaos.

In this trailer episode, hosts Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello pull back the curtain on what it really looks like to build a small business together while navigating everyday life. As partners in marriage and in business, Joe and Erica share the mindset that drives them forward: taking risks, hearing “no” more times than they can count, and choosing to move ahead anyway.

You’ll hear honest reflections on what motivates them, why perfection is a myth in entrepreneurship, and why excuses have no place when you’re trying to build something meaningful. Erica opens up about believing in an idea even when others don’t, while Joe emphasizes the responsibility entrepreneurs have to work with what they have and make it extraordinary.

This trailer also introduces listeners to the heart behind Fort Orange General Store — a business built not just to support a family, but to support a community. From the struggles and sacrifices to the pride of seeing it all come together, this episode sets the tone for future conversations about small business ownership, resilience, and finding joy in the process.

If you’ve ever dreamed of starting something of your own, felt discouraged by setbacks, or wondered how business and real life can coexist, this podcast is for you.

Subscribe now and join us as we share our story — and the stories behind building a small business with a big life.

Keywords: small business podcast, retail entrepreneurship, community events, hot chocolate stroll, downtown Albany, brick and mortar retail, holiday retail strategy, experiential retail, family business, Fort Orange General Store 

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Small Business Big Life Inside Fort Orange General Store,
 where entrepreneurship meets marriage, kids, and controlled chaos.
 I'm Joe Slichko and with me as always is my wife,
 business partner, and owner of Fort Orange General Store, Erica Cubello.
 Making things happen even when I'm told no, and taking a chance, taking a risk when I really
 believe in something, and this is something that I really believe in.
 I think no is probably the biggest motivator in both of our lives.
 Oh for sure, that goes back to my first business being told no, but literally everyone in my life,
 and I kind of was just like, "Fuck, do this anyways," and then I'm going to show you, excuse my
 French as they would say. So, yes, no has always been a motivator for me.
 So to the entrepreneurs out there, there's never a "perfect" situation, but it's your job,
 our job, to work with what we have, to make it the most amazing thing possible.
 Yeah, and lead the excuses at the door.
 If you want to do it, you've got to do it, and nobody else is going to do it for you.
 That is true. So, Erica, is there anything else you would like our listeners to know from the store
 or business end about our first retail season as we are entering it today?
 I think it's just a really exciting time, and it's so much fun to see all our efforts, struggles,
 fights, like just me, it's working. It's so much fun. And Joe and I love, like it means
 everything to us that people are coming and supporting us. Like, it's more than just making money.
 That's not, of course, you have to support our family, to support us, but it's more than that.
 It's about our community. It's about our customers. It's about showing joy in our city or pride.
 If you have any interest in what we shared and you'll like us to come back and do this whole thing
 again, it'd be amazing if you could like or subscribe. You could share this episode with one friend
 of yours that may be interested in the same nonsense that you're interested in that we have to offer.
 We would really appreciate us. One like, one share, one listen helps out a small emerging podcast like
 ours. Once again, thank you all for listening, and we look forward to sharing our lives again
 with you next week on Small Business Big Life Inside Fort Orange General Store.