The Story of Sarris Candies with Bill Sarris: Making of a Family Legacy and Iconic Brand

The Story of Sarris Candies with Bill Sarris: Making of a Family Legacy and Iconic Brand

What does it take to turn a basement candy operation into one of Pittsburgh's most iconic brands and keep it thriving across three generations? In this episode, Greg Weimer sits down with Bill Sarris to discuss how his father transformed a simple idea into a multi-generational business built on craftsmanship, relationships, and relentless hard work. From making chocolate bunnies six at a time in the family basement in the 1960s to running five production lines that turn out hundreds of thousands of bunnies each Easter, Bill shares the defining moments that built Sarris Candies into a brand woven into the fabric of the Pittsburgh community. CHAPTERS 01:00 Welcome to Living Your Legacy 01:30 Meet Bill Sarris 02:00 How It All Started in a Basement 04:10 Six Bunnies at a Time 05:20 Going to W&J and Joining the Business 06:30 Fundraising and Building the Brand 07:30 $75,000 in Cash to Europe 09:30 Why Sarris Became the Iconic Brand 11:00 The Giant Eagle Phone Call 13:00 Expanding and Building in Sections 14:00 The New Facility at Fort Pitt Bridgeworks 14:40 Delegating and Growing the Team 16:30 A Workforce That Stayed for Decades 18:00 Family Culture and Relationships 19:30 What Drives You When It's Not About Money 21:30 Passing It to the Next Generation 23:30 Learning Every Part of the Business 24:30 What Are You Most Proud Of 25:30 What Would Your Dad Think 26:30 Legacy and One Piece of Advice GUEST Bill Sarris -- Owner, Sarris Candies HOST Greg Weimer -- Founder and CEO, Confluence Financial Partners TOPICS Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Family & Legacy

Chef Ezra Shapiro: From Conventional Success to Personal Fulfillment

What does it take to walk away from a successful career because you know it is not the life you want to build? In this episode, Greg Weimer sits down with Chef Ezra Shapiro, a private chef based in Western Pennsylvania who traded a career in commercial real estate and finance for restaurant kitchens. After graduating from Penn State with an economics degree and spending four years managing a commercial real estate investment fund, Ezra took a solo trip to South America that changed the direction of his life. What started as three months of thinking and food tours through Lima and Buenos Aires became the foundation for an entirely new career path. CHAPTERS 01:10 Welcome to Living Your Legacy 01:48 Meet Chef Ezra Shapiro 03:30 Growing Up Around Food 05:15 Penn State and Economics 06:40 The Mentor in Commercial Real Estate 10:15 Leaving the Office Behind 12:30 The Wine Company and Getting Laid Off 16:20 Three Months in South America 20:45 Discovering the Culinary World 24:30 The Risk Analysis That Changed Everything 27:00 First Kitchen Job in Philadelphia 29:30 The Sourdough Story 33:15 Falling in Love with the Kitchen 35:40 Working Your Way Up Through Stages 38:00 Single Thread: A Three Michelin Star Restaurant 42:00 Leaving Single Thread for Family 46:20 Building a Private Chef Business in Pittsburgh 49:30 The Connection Between Food and Relationships 52:00 Three Defining Moments 54:20 Closing GUEST Ezra Shapiro -- Private Chef HOST Greg Weimer -- Founder and CEO, Confluence Financial Partners TOPICS Passion & Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Leadership

He's Helping Businesses Grow by Rethinking Digital Marketing in the Age of AI: Bill Bishilany on AI, Marketing, and Human Behavior

What if the most important thing about AI in business is not what it can do but how well you understand the people you are trying to reach? In this episode, Greg Weimer sits down with Bill Bishilany, founder of Mileage Design, to explore what it really means to rethink digital marketing in the age of AI. From graduating Ohio State in construction management and surviving the 2008 recession to turning around distressed franchise brands and discovering human-centered design through the Stanford d.school reading list, Bill shares how an unconventional path shaped the way he builds digital strategies rooted in empathy and problem solving. CHAPTERS 01:10 Welcome to Living Your Legacy 01:41 Meet Bill Bishilany 02:30 From Construction to AI 04:21 Turning Around Distressed Franchise Brands 06:13 Discovering Human-Centered Design 07:00 Solving at the Point of Frustration 08:44 Adding Massive Value to Clients 10:12 Starting Mileage Design 11:51 Why It's Called Mileage 12:21 Human Relationships in the Age of AI 13:28 AI Is Bigger Than the Internet 16:23 AI as a Thinking Partner 18:05 Staying Ahead of Technology 20:29 What Digital Marketing Really Is 21:03 How AI Is Changing Search 22:50 Trust and AI Search Results 25:36 The Digital Marketing Mosaic 27:27 Turning the Flintstones into the Jetsons 28:58 Growth Mindset and Embracing AI 30:27 Faith, Family, and What Matters Most 31:23 Happiness Is Not a Destination 34:04 Raising Someone's Future Best Friend 35:43 Legacy: Intentional, Deliberate, By Design GUEST Bill Bishilany — Founder, Mileage Design HOST Greg Weimer — Founder and CEO, Confluence Financial Partners TOPICS Innovation & Technology, Growth, Faith & Purpose, Passion & Creativity

She Sold Her Wedding Ring to Start a Jewelry Business: The Lou & Veronica Guarino Story

When Lou and Veronica Guarino decided to start their own business, they made a bold and personal sacrifice by selling Veronica's wedding ring to fund what would become Louis Anthony Jewelers. In this episode, we sit down with Lou and Veronica Guarino, owners of Louis Anthony Jewelers, to talk about partnership, sacrifice, staying true to your standards, and the passion it takes to build a family business that lasts across generations. CHAPTERS 00:36 - Welcome to Living Your Legacy 01:00 - Meet Lou and Veronica Guarino 01:26 - Selling the Wedding Ring 03:30 - Starting with a Desk and a Phone 05:00 - The "Have We Met Yet?" Campaign 06:10 - Are Couples Still That Committed? 08:00 - The First Order and the Phone Book 09:30 - How Do You Get to Rolex? 11:15 - The Defining Moment: Six Figures at the Door 13:00 - The Struggle Is Real 14:30 - Staying True to Your Standards 16:00 - Designing a Pin for Madeleine Albright 18:15 - Your Store Is Your Home 20:00 - Jewelry as Legacy 23:00 - Falling in Love with Your Business 25:00 - Staying Relevant and Innovating 28:00 - Multigenerational Business 31:00 - Balance Means Being Out of Balance GUEST Lou & Veronica Guarino — Co-Owners, Louis Anthony Jewelers HOST Greg Weimer — Founder and CEO, Confluence Financial Partners TOPICS Entrepreneurship, Family & Legacy, Passion & Creativity, Resilience

What Personalized Medicine Can Really Do: Inside Concierge Medicine with Dr. Sunjay Mannan

What if your doctor had the time to really know you, your stress, your sleep, your goals, and the life you actually want to live? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sunjay Mannan, founder of Health Is Wealth Concierge Medicine, to explore what proactive, personalized healthcare really looks like and why it may be one of the most powerful investments you can make in your future. CHAPTERS: 00:36 - Welcome to Living Your Legacy 01:01 - Meet Dr. Sunjay Mannan 02:38 - What Is Concierge Medicine 04:00 - What a Patient Says About Sunjay 04:17 - Healthspan vs. Lifespan 05:08 - Sleep, Data, and Readiness 05:50 - The Concierge Model vs. Fee-Based Advising 08:15 - Using AI in Medicine 09:14 - Stress and How to Manage It 12:06 - What Does Concierge Medicine Cost 14:06 - Going Into Patients' Homes 14:38 - Lessons from a 104-Year-Old Patient 16:07 - Living Intentionally 18:36 - Exercise, ADHD, and Dementia 19:50 - What Exercise Really Means at 55 21:06 - The Diet Basics That Actually Work 24:02 - How Long Until You See Results 25:22 - Questions to Ask Your Doctor 27:54 - Women's Health and Hormone Therapy 29:45 - Legacy and Eulogical Values GUEST Dr. Sunjay Mannan — Founder, Health Is Wealth Concierge Medicine HOST Greg Weimer — Founder and CEO, Confluence Financial Partners TOPICS Health & Wellness, Growth, Faith & Purpose