Aisle Be Damned Tue, 13 Oct 2026 22:09:03 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2651117 en © 2026 Aisle Be Damned yes c5c03a13-fd18-5c67-bd24-be8eba6aca33 Shana & Jason Wallenstein episodic true Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Shana & Jason Wallenstein https://storage.buzzsprout.com/qgg3pgyer95p163r7xypihozzg5e?.jpg Aisle Be Damned https://www.buzzsprout.com/2651117 Ep. 5 - From Hot Sauce to Freeze-Dried Snacks: Building a Business With a Purpose Ep. 5 - From Hot Sauce to Freeze-Dried Snacks: Building a Business With a Purpose What do you do when life keeps throwing you curveballs? If you’re Sonya Patel, you pivot, get creative, and build something delicious. Sonya joins Jason and Shana to share how her journey took her from management consulting and education to founding Pur Spices, a woman-owned food manufacturing company with a mission close to home: creating boldly flavored foods that are free from top allergens. She also talks about launching Bold & Airy Bites, the freeze-dried snacks that are winning over taste buds one crunchy bite at a time. From supply chain headaches to brutally honest feedback from her kids, this episode is all about finding your purpose, trusting your path, and building a business on your own terms. And yes, there’s plenty of snack tasting along the way.

]]> What do you do when life keeps throwing you curveballs? If you’re Sonya Patel, you pivot, get creative, and build something delicious. Sonya joins Jason and Shana to share how her journey took her from management consulting and education to founding Pur Spices, a woman-owned food manufacturing company with a mission close to home: creating boldly flavored foods that are free from top allergens. She also talks about launching Bold & Airy Bites, the freeze-dried snacks that are winning over taste buds one crunchy bite at a time. From supply chain headaches to brutally honest feedback from her kids, this episode is all about finding your purpose, trusting your path, and building a business on your own terms. And yes, there’s plenty of snack tasting along the way.

]]> Shana & Jason Wallenstein Buzzsprout-19953097 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400 4478 1 5 full false Ep. 4 - They’re Building a Bookstore From Scratch: Books, Beer & Community Ep. 4 - They’re Building a Bookstore From Scratch: Books, Beer & Community Rebecca had a simple thought over coffee: “You know what this town needs? A bookstore.” Then she told Ethan, and suddenly they were actually doing it. Now they’re building an independent bookstore from the ground up, complete with used books, local authors, craft beer, board games, community events, and a whole lot of late nights. Jason and Shana sit down with the couple to talk about turning a crazy idea into a real business, surviving layoffs, betting on themselves, and creating a place where people can actually slow down, hang out, and feel like they belong.

]]> Rebecca had a simple thought over coffee: “You know what this town needs? A bookstore.” Then she told Ethan, and suddenly they were actually doing it. Now they’re building an independent bookstore from the ground up, complete with used books, local authors, craft beer, board games, community events, and a whole lot of late nights. Jason and Shana sit down with the couple to talk about turning a crazy idea into a real business, surviving layoffs, betting on themselves, and creating a place where people can actually slow down, hang out, and feel like they belong.

]]> Shana & Jason Wallenstein 3880bc4e-a24c-4031-beff-9b2319158a54 Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0400 3394 [nil, nil] false Ep. 3 - From Events to The Curated Cottage: Building a Creative Community Ep. 3 - From Events to The Curated Cottage: Building a Creative Community What happens when a longtime event planner finally decides to build the shop she’s been dreaming about? You get The Curated Cottage, a charming little spot in Aurora filled with plants, vintage finds, paper goods, crafts, and plenty of personality. Tara sits down with Jason and Shana to talk about taking the leap into brick-and-mortar retail, learning the ins and outs of her local community, and creating a space where people can slow down, get creative, and actually connect. Plus, there’s a shop cat named Mango who may or may not be the real boss.

]]> What happens when a longtime event planner finally decides to build the shop she’s been dreaming about? You get The Curated Cottage, a charming little spot in Aurora filled with plants, vintage finds, paper goods, crafts, and plenty of personality. Tara sits down with Jason and Shana to talk about taking the leap into brick-and-mortar retail, learning the ins and outs of her local community, and creating a space where people can slow down, get creative, and actually connect. Plus, there’s a shop cat named Mango who may or may not be the real boss.

]]> Shana & Jason Wallenstein bdd7a6df-34f7-4544-9e03-8cc466aa176d Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0400 3309 [nil, nil] false Ep. 2 - From Construction to Energy Drinks: Building a Brand from Scratch Ep. 2 - From Construction to Energy Drinks: Building a Brand from Scratch Brad and Kelsey are already running a construction company—but that didn’t stop them from launching a new energy drink brand designed for blue-collar workers. In this episode of Aisle Be Damned, they share the challenges of developing their product, self-financing the business, getting into stores, and turning a crazy idea into a growing brand.

]]> Brad and Kelsey are already running a construction company—but that didn’t stop them from launching a new energy drink brand designed for blue-collar workers. In this episode of Aisle Be Damned, they share the challenges of developing their product, self-financing the business, getting into stores, and turning a crazy idea into a growing brand.

]]> Shana & Jason Wallenstein 64f5c0d3-0bd1-4b92-b0ea-04dd149cf912 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0400 3391 [nil, nil] false Ep. 1 - He’s 16 and Already Built a Business: Jam, Entrepreneurship & Breaking the Rules with Josh Friedlander Ep. 1 - He’s 16 and Already Built a Business: Jam, Entrepreneurship & Breaking the Rules with Josh Friedlander Welcome to the very first episode of Aisle Be Damned, hosted by Jason and Shana Wallenstein!

For our debut episode, Jason and Shana sit down with Josh Friedlander, a 16-year-old entrepreneur from Solon, Ohio, who has turned a passion for cooking and canning into a growing jam business carried in nearly 100 stores.

Josh shares how a hobby that started during COVID turned into a profitable food brand, from selling at farmers markets to personally pitching grocery buyers, building a team, and navigating the challenges of running a business while still in high school.

But Josh's story goes far beyond jam. He opens up about learning to navigate entrepreneurship with a stutter, pushing through uncomfortable situations, managing school alongside a rapidly growing company, and refusing to let what makes him different stand in the way of his dreams.

Jason and Shana also dig into the realities of scaling a food business, landing a 2,500-gift-box order, working with retailers, building a demo team, and figuring out what comes next.

It's an inspiring, funny, and surprisingly delicious conversation about entrepreneurship, perseverance, family, and what happens when you start thinking like a CEO before you've even graduated high school.

Welcome to Aisle Be Damned — we're just getting started.

]]> Welcome to the very first episode of Aisle Be Damned, hosted by Jason and Shana Wallenstein!

For our debut episode, Jason and Shana sit down with Josh Friedlander, a 16-year-old entrepreneur from Solon, Ohio, who has turned a passion for cooking and canning into a growing jam business carried in nearly 100 stores.

Josh shares how a hobby that started during COVID turned into a profitable food brand, from selling at farmers markets to personally pitching grocery buyers, building a team, and navigating the challenges of running a business while still in high school.

But Josh's story goes far beyond jam. He opens up about learning to navigate entrepreneurship with a stutter, pushing through uncomfortable situations, managing school alongside a rapidly growing company, and refusing to let what makes him different stand in the way of his dreams.

Jason and Shana also dig into the realities of scaling a food business, landing a 2,500-gift-box order, working with retailers, building a demo team, and figuring out what comes next.

It's an inspiring, funny, and surprisingly delicious conversation about entrepreneurship, perseverance, family, and what happens when you start thinking like a CEO before you've even graduated high school.

Welcome to Aisle Be Damned — we're just getting started.

]]> Shana & Jason Wallenstein 9d57ed14-0701-4e64-8d20-7ffdc1b1ec5a Tue, 08 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0400 2496 [nil, nil] false Welcome to Aisle Be Damned! Welcome to Aisle Be Damned! We’re Shana and Jason Wallenstein. We’re married, and we own a hardware store together.

Which, as it turns out, is a really good way to learn a lot about business and maybe a little too much about each other.

Because owning a business never goes exactly the way you think it will.

The wins are bigger, the mistakes are more expensive, and some days you find yourself asking, “How the hell did we get here?”

So we started talking to other entrepreneurs, founders, retailers, and business owners about what it really takes to build something.

The good decisions. The bad decisions. The things nobody tells you until you’re already in it.

For better.

For worse.

For business.

This is Aisle Be Damned. 

]]> We’re Shana and Jason Wallenstein. We’re married, and we own a hardware store together.

Which, as it turns out, is a really good way to learn a lot about business and maybe a little too much about each other.

Because owning a business never goes exactly the way you think it will.

The wins are bigger, the mistakes are more expensive, and some days you find yourself asking, “How the hell did we get here?”

So we started talking to other entrepreneurs, founders, retailers, and business owners about what it really takes to build something.

The good decisions. The bad decisions. The things nobody tells you until you’re already in it.

For better.

For worse.

For business.

This is Aisle Be Damned. 

]]> Shana & Jason Wallenstein 64edd7a0-899b-49af-ab49-f556548e931c Tue, 01 Sep 2026 21:07:51 -0400 48 [nil, nil] false