EP15 | Have the Hard Talk
Communication expert Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down how small business owners can handle tough conversations without triggering defensiveness or escalating conflict.
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The Small Business Advantage Podcast for small business owners, entrepreneurs, marketers, and leaders who are done playing small - and ready to win by being exactly who they are.
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Underestimated is a podcast for small business owners, entrepreneurs, marketers, and leaders who are done pretending to be bigger than they are - and ready to win by being exactly who they are.
Every episode delivers real talk, real strategy, and real results from people who've stopped playing by big-business rules. We dig into consumer behavior, marketing psychology, and the unique advantages that only small businesses have.
"Small businesses have been underestimated for decades. That turns out to be their greatest advantage." - Shawna
✦ LATEST EPISODE
Communication expert Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down how small business owners can handle tough conversations with employees, customers, and vendors without triggering defensiveness or escalating conflict.
Communication expert Dr. Janel Anderson breaks down how small business owners can handle tough conversations without triggering defensiveness or escalating conflict.
ACCESS THE EPISODEThe shift from SEO to GEO is already happening. Learn why AI tools are changing how customers find businesses, and what small business owners must do right now to stay visible.
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EP #13
Sales expert Bethany George joins Shawna to break down why traditional sales approaches feel uncomfortable for small business owners and what to do before you hire that first salesperson.
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Hello,
I'M SHAWNA SUCKOW.
A consumer behavior expert, small-business expert, and host of Underestimated - the podcast for small business owners who are tired of being told to act bigger.
For over 15 years I sat on the buying side of the table - evaluating pitches, making decisions, and watching businesses win and lose on things they never even tracked. Now I'm sharing everything I know so that small businesses can stop guessing and start winning.
✦ THE STORY BEHIND WHY ✦
I started this podcast because I kept hearing the same thing from small business owners: "I feel invisible." They were doing great work, serving real people, making real differences - but they were trying to compete with big brands by playing big-brand games. And it wasn't working.
The truth is, being small isn't a disadvantage. It's your greatest competitive weapon. Big brands can't be personal. They can't be agile. They can't be you. But somewhere along the way, the business world convinced small business owners that they needed to imitate large companies to succeed. That's exactly backwards.
Every episode of Underestimated is built around one simple idea: you don't need more resources - you need a better strategy. And that strategy starts with understanding exactly who your customer is today, what they actually want, and why your authentic "smallness" is the thing they've been craving.
This isn't a podcast about hustle culture or growth hacking. It's about sustainable, human-first business that wins in the real world. Welcome to Underestimated.