What would you give up to build something bigger than yourself?

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Reubens Amedee left his successful finance career to build a school on his grandfather’s land. But keeping that dream alive meant finding a sustainable way to fund it. That’s how Papa Rozier Farms was born – a beauty brand built from Haitian grown castor and moringa, family legacy, and a mission to create jobs back home.

In this episode, Reubens shares what it really takes to leave comfort behind for impact and how Amazon helped the brand reach new customers.

If you’ve ever wondered how purpose and business can grow together, this episode is for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you’ll learn:

(01:12) — How a relief trip to Haiti changed Reubens’ entire career path

(05:01) — How to build a business from what you already have

(08:59) — How to use Amazon to reach more customers

(10:27) — How to know when it’s time to leave your stable job

(14:53) — How a business can create real community impact

What if your biggest competitive advantage is your story?

When Akruti Babaria couldn’t find tools to help her son connect with his Indian heritage, she turned that gap into a business. What started as selling curated children’s books quickly evolved into Kulture Khazana – a brand built on storytelling, cultural connection, and community.

In this episode, she breaks down how she validated demand through programming, pivoted during COVID by launching her first product, and used Amazon to scale – from leveraging influencer trust to unlocking rapid growth through the Amazon’s Choice badge.

If you want to turn your story into a real competitive advantage and build a brand customers actually connect with – this episode is for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you’ll learn:

(01:22) — How Akruti found her purpose after a life-changing moment.

(06:06) — How to use storytelling to grow your brand and community

(08:35) — How Amazon influencers can help drive product sales

(09:29) — What “Amazon’s Choice” means for your business and how it impacts sales

(10:50) — How to turn your culture into a competitive advantage

(12:10) — How to keep going when you feel like quitting your business.

What separates the businesses that get funded from the ones that don’t?

Angela Lee, a professor at Columbia Business School and founder of 37 Angels, has helped evaluate over 20,000 startups and knows exactly what makes investors say yes.

In this episode, Angela breaks down how to think like an investor, what metrics actually matter (hint: it’s not just revenue), and how to turn early traction into long-term growth. She shares practical frameworks – from the “triple, triple, double” growth model to scrappy experiments like landing page testing – that can help you validate your idea and scale with intention.

If you want to stop guessing what investors are looking for – and start building a business they can’t ignore – this episode is for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:11) — How Angela Lee turned an investment book club into 37 Angels to tackle venture capital’s diversity gap

(04:31) — How to find investors (even if you don’t have connections)

(05:24) — How to make your pitch stand out to investors?

(07:23) — How to prove your business model actually works

(08:55) — The framework every founder needs to stay adaptable and prioritize what matters

(12:49) — Confidence isn’t fixed – Here’s how you can build it

(14:58) — How founders can deal with the loneliness of building a business