A lot of business advice sounds clean on paper until you’ve lived through thin margins, messy partnerships, and the daily grind of managing people. Mark sits down with serial entrepreneur Dave Dreiling to talk about what actually holds up in the real world and what breaks fast once Money, Growth, or ego enters the room.

Dave shares how his early hustle mindset turned into major scale, including building a sportswear company that reached nearly $80M in revenue and later selling it to a large corporate buyer. From there, we get candid about franchising and why the Franchise model can be a smart path to entrepreneurship if you understand incentives and pick the right people. Dave’s Quiznos experience highlights how a brand can look great while operators lose money, while his Freddy’s Steakburgers journey shows what improves outcomes: strong unit leadership, clear systems, and treating people well even in high-turnover industries.

Then we shift into Dave’s newest obsession: Booth Creek Wagyu. He explains vertical integration across the “four legs” of the cow, how Wagyu feeding and processing differ from commodity beef, and why Retail meat markets, E-Commerce, and restaurant sales can reinforce each other when the brand is controlled end-to-end. We also dig into consistency, including a grading approach that measures marbling percentage so customers and chefs can choose what they actually like.

If you care about entrepreneurship, small business growth, hiring for culture fit, and building a durable brand, this conversation is packed with practical frameworks and hard-earned perspective. Subscribe, share this with a founder friend, and leave a review telling us the biggest lesson you’ve learned the hard way.

Subscribe and tune in for new episodes of Big Talk About Small Business with Mark Zweig and Eric Howerton. Each week we focus on practical insights and real-world strategies to grow your business!

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Mark Zweig & Eric Howerton Big Talk About Small Business

Big Talk About Small Business is a podcast dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small business owners navigate the challenges and opportunities of building and growing a successful company. Each episode dives into practical topics—ranging from financial transparency and marketing strategy to leadership and hiring—offering listeners real-world insights they can apply immediately. The show is co-hosted by Mark Zweig, a serial entrepreneur, author, and founder of Zweig Group, and Eric Howerton, a seasoned business leader and marketing expert. Together, they bring decades of experience and a no-nonsense approach to exploring what really works in small business, featuring guest interviews, personal stories, and actionable advice for business builders at every stage.