Kanawha Valley Hustlers

Bryson Cutler on Manufacturing, Marketing, and Handmade Glass

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Bryson Cutler at Blenko Glass Company in Milton, West Virginia. Bryson works in business development, but his path started in digital marketing and IT. About nine years ago, he came into Blenko as a consultant, and that work grew into a larger role inside one of West Virginia’s most recognized glass companies. Blenko has been around for more than 130 years. It started in Indiana, moved to Clarksburg, and landed in Milton in 1921. For most of its history, Blenko worked as a wholesale company. Since 2017, the business has shifted more into direct online sales, reaching customers in all 50 states and sometimes beyond the country. Bryson talks about one of the first lessons business taught him: people matter. Employees can affect operations, cash flow, growth, and the future of the company. For Blenko, that is not theory. Their biggest challenge is not selling glass. It is making enough glass and training the next generation of glassblowers. Since skilled glassblowers are not easy to find, Blenko has to build talent through its apprenticeship program. We also talk about digital marketing, AI, cash flow, and why even a historic handmade glass company needs cameras, microphones, and a strong online presence. Bryson’s core belief is simple: invest in your people, invest in your community, and that investment comes back. Blenko lives that through tours, local spending, apprenticeships, and its work to keep this craft alive in West Virginia. The post Bryson Cutler on Manufacturing, Marketing, and Handmade Glass [https://www.joejustice.org/bryson-cutler-on-manufacturing-marketing-and-handmade-glass/] appeared first on Joe Justice Organization [https://www.joejustice.org].

David Crabtree on Drones, Search and Rescue, and Business Lessons

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with David Crabtree about drones, business, and the lessons that come with building something from the ground up. David is working to bring the drone industry into West Virginia through Appalachian UAV Academy. His work reaches from training first responders to exploring how drones can support rural health care, delivery, search and rescue, and other industries. David got into drones after leaving the military. His dad flew remote-control airplanes, and David wanted a way to spend time with him. That interest turned into a passion. After a career in the corporate world, he decided to build a business around drone technology. One of the biggest problems David wants to solve is finding missing people. He wants drones to help locate children, elderly people, and others who need to be found fast. That mission drives a lot of his work. We also talk about the mistakes that come with entrepreneurship. David learned not to buy equipment before the market is ready. He calls that part of paying the “ignorance tax.” You do not know what you do not know, and sometimes the only way to learn is by doing the work and watching the numbers. David also makes a point that every entrepreneur needs to hear. The skill that matters is doing the boring work over and over. Most people get excited at the start, then lose focus when the routine sets in. But the routine is where the business gets built. David believes drones are going to change how we solve problems in West Virginia and beyond. From public safety to cleaning buildings to rural access, he sees drones as flying robots that can collect data, save time, and keep people safer. The post David Crabtree on Drones, Search and Rescue, and Business Lessons [https://www.joejustice.org/david-crabtree-on-drones-search-and-rescue-and-business-lessons/] appeared first on Joe Justice Organization [https://www.joejustice.org].

AI Can Get Attention, But Can It Build Trust?

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk about why AI may be pushing us out of the attention economy and into the trust economy. AI has made attention cheap. Anybody can now create endless content that looks polished, sounds professional, and feels like it came from a production team with a large budget. That used to be a signal of competence. If you looked good on camera and had strong production value, people assumed you knew what you were doing. That signal is weaker now because AI can copy it. It can make someone look like an expert in seconds. It can generate the kind of content that once took time, skill, and money. But it cannot replace the thing that builds trust: lived experience. The real prize today is not just attention. It is trust. People will still notice polished content, but they will also look for deeper proof. They will check whether you show up across platforms. They will look at how long you have been around. They will want stories, mistakes, process, proof, and evidence that you have done the work. That means business owners need to stop hiding their process. Share how you solve problems. Show what you have learned. Talk about what went wrong and what you would do differently now. Your value is not just information. Your value is applied expertise. A person with 20 years of experience brings something AI cannot fake. AI can pull from human knowledge, but it does not have your history. It does not have your stories. It cannot show the work you did ten years ago or explain how you learned through the problems you faced. People also do not like feeling fooled. If they find out a video, expert, or personality is not real, that can break trust. A real person who shows up with a few rough edges can still build more trust than a perfect artificial version. AI may win a short burst of attention, but trust is built over time. The businesses that keep showing up, share their work, and prove they are real will have the advantage. Attention may be cheaper than ever, but trust is still expensive. That is where the real opportunity is. The post AI Can Get Attention, But Can It Build Trust? [https://www.joejustice.org/ai-can-get-attention-but-can-it-build-trust/] appeared first on Joe Justice Organization [https://www.joejustice.org].

Chris Bautista on Roofing, Hustle, and Building Above Roofing

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Chris Bautista, owner of Above Roofing, LLC. Chris helps homeowners with roof leaks, repairs, replacements, and maintenance inspections. He got into roofing after helping his father-in-law install a roof, and the work stayed with him. Twelve years later, he has built a business around doing the job right. Chris walks me through one of the lessons that shaped him as a business owner. Early on, he underestimated a job and lost money. That taught him to slow down, inspect roofs with more care, ask better questions, and make sure the price matches the work. It is a lesson a lot of entrepreneurs learn the hard way. Charging correctly is not just about profit. It is about understanding the full scope before making a promise. We also talk about what homeowners should know before hiring a roofer. Chris points out that many people do not understand the insurance a contractor should carry. That coverage protects the workers, the contractor, and the homeowner if something goes wrong. He also encourages people to ask about experience and what types of roofs a contractor can install. In the Kanawha Valley, many older roofs are being torn off and replaced with shingles or metal panels when some of them could be preserved. Chris sees staffing as one of the biggest challenges in the trades right now. He wants more young people to see the trades as a career path. Homes and buildings are not going to build or repair themselves, and skilled workers will always be needed. When I ask him what skill every entrepreneur needs, his answer is simple: hustle. The skill he is working on now is patience. Chris also shares that his company name connects to his faith and the belief that we are above and not below. For anyone who wants to reach Above Roofing, Chris points them to the website or his phone number, 304-942-9296. The post Chris Bautista on Roofing, Hustle, and Building Above Roofing [https://www.joejustice.org/chris-bautista-on-roofing-hustle-and-building-above-roofing/] appeared first on Joe Justice Organization [https://www.joejustice.org].

Lee Jordan Builds Battleground Wrestling

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Lee Jordan about Battleground Wrestling and how he built an independent wrestling promotion here in West Virginia. Lee started with a love of wrestling and turned it into a live event business that now runs about six shows a year. Battleground Wrestling has held events across the state, but its home base is now in Winfield. Lee walks me through the early days, when the whole thing was a labor of love. The first big step was buying an 18-foot ring. From there, he helped launch House of Rage wrestling school, where new wrestlers could train, learn the business, and get their first real experience in front of a crowd. One thing that stood out to me is how much work goes into independent wrestling. A lot of people only think about WWE, but the independent circuit is where many wrestlers begin. It is where they train, build their characters, sharpen their performance, and try to climb toward larger opportunities. Lee also makes a point that applies to more than wrestling. Social media helps, but it is not enough. You still have to get out, meet people, hang posters, pass out flyers, and talk to the community. His advice to business owners is simple: do the footwork. Do not just post and pray. We also talk about the practical side of running shows. The best money he spent was on more chairs because more seats mean more people can attend in comfort. The biggest waste has been food and drinks because crowd demand is hard to predict. What I hear from Lee is persistence. Battleground Wrestling is different by design. He wants to bring people together, put on strong shows, and keep building something that feels special to the people who show up. The post Lee Jordan Builds Battleground Wrestling [https://www.joejustice.org/lee-jordan-builds-battleground-wrestling/] appeared first on Joe Justice Organization [https://www.joejustice.org].