In this Simply Business conversation, host John Jennings sits down with Jamie (James) Fender, Partner at Grimes Pools in Bloomington, Indiana. Jamie shares how a third-generation family business has sustained momentum for 50+ years moving from a franchise “kit pool” start to a full-service, white-glove operation.

You’ll hear how Jamie earned trust by listening first, learning the craft (even hand-drawing designs at ¼-inch scale), and then translating that craft into standards the whole team can live by. We get practical about leading on jobsites in the era of Ring cameras, holding people to a higher bar, and doing the hard succession work—mapping roles and expectations before emotions take over.

What you’ll learn

• The mindset shift from “helping out” to owning standards
• Why process matters (and how to build it without losing craft)
• Tactics for jobsite professionalism when customers are always watching
• How to approach family-business transitions with clarity and care

If you’re growing a trades or service company or navigating a family transition this episode will give you simple, actionable ideas you can use this week.

Business owners call lawyers most often after a problem explodes contracts go sideways, terminations go wrong, partners fall out. In this episode, Kevin Eddins, Co-founder and Partner at Eddins Dominion Law Group in Louisville/St. Matthews, explains why the smartest move is proactive counsel on the front end when it’s cheaper, calmer, and far more controllable.

Kevin shares how he grew from associate to entrepreneur, the identity shift from “lawyer doing the work” to “owner building the firm,” and the culture he insists on: humility over hierarchy, collaboration over ego, and getting the right people on the bus. He walks through hiring beyond the conference room, building a network that actually sends business, and the uncomfortable but necessary choice to pull the ripcord and bet on yourself.

You’ll learn: practical moments when to engage counsel, how to think about team fit, what real networking looks like, and a simple mantra for anyone debating a big move: overcome inertia and go.

If you’re a founder, operator, or professional considering your next leap, this conversation will give you both the mindset and the moves to do it wisely.

In the 87th episode of Simply Business, I sit down with Jeremy Esposito, Partner and Owner of Esposito Construction, a third-generation home building and remodeling company serving Louisville and Oldham County.

Jeremy shares what it means to lead a family business with deep community roots balancing tradition with growth, weathering the challenges of construction, and finding ways to give back beyond the job site. From leadership lessons to nonprofit involvement, his story is about building more than structures: it’s about building a legacy.

Whether you’re running a family business, working in construction, or simply interested in what it takes to create something that lasts, you’ll take away valuable insights from this conversation.