Lem Lewis, aka The Ranch Broker, steps to the mellifluous Monday Morning Radio microphone this week as guest host.

Lem, who in addition to his duties as a trusted advisor to ranch buyers and sellers, is a certified whiskey sommelier, having earned his credentials from The Whisk(e)y Marketing School – part of Wizard Academy.

For Lem's popular podcast, RANCHCAST with LEM LEWIS, he recently interviewed Dan Garrison proprietor of the award-winning Garrison Brothers Distillery. When Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart heard Lem’s RANCHCAST interview with Dan, Dean told Lem, “I have to share Dan’s story with my Monday Morning Radio listeners.” Lem graciously consented.

Dan’s is a great business and whiskey story.

Headquartered on a ranch in tiny Hye, Texas, Garrison Brothers defied all the naysayers who warned Dan and his loyal crew that quality bourbon was strictly the province of distillers in Kentucky and Tennessee.

First distributed in 2011, Garrison Brothers bourbons have become so popular that like the best Texas barbecue, they regularly are sold out.

In fact, Dan’s bourbons have such a cult-like fan base that his wait list for volunteers to help him inspect, seal and box his spirits has grown to 9,000 names and counting. Dan’s secret: those volunteers who agree to spend two days helping out are rewarded with a shot of “courage” every half hour during the workday.

As you’ll hear, Dan Garrison is overflowing with big-as-Texas swagger and valuable entrepreneurial insights that you’ll want to drink in slowly.

But be forewarned: Dan’s language, like his prize-winning unfiltered and uncut Cowboy Bourbon, is occasionally 137 proof. If four-letter words offend you, you may wish to skip this week’s episode.

Photo: Dan Garrison, Garrison Brothers Distillery
Posted: May 15, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 33 minutes 39 seconds 

How do you take your coffee: cream, sugar, politics?

Like so many other retailers today, the coffee industry - led by giant Starbucks - has made buying a cup of java not just about taste, but also about where you stand on the hot-button issues of our day.

In late 2014, Evan Hafer, a former Green Beret who did tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, saw an opportunity to appeal to fellow military veterans and 2nd Amendment advocates by launching a coffee brand aimed at them: Black Rifle Coffee Company. 

Sure enough, the firearms specialist hit a bullseye. Salt Lake City-based Black Rifle Coffee has seen explosive sales growth and he has pledged to hire 10,000 veterans over the next six years to staff his rapidly expanding mail-order and franchise business. 

This week pistol-toting Hafer joins host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart to talk about coffee beans, veterans, guns, and earning profits in an increasingly politicized marketplace.

Photo: Evan Hafer, Black Rifle Coffee Company
Posted: May 1, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 50 seconds 

Universities and colleges profit from their alumni networks, so why not businesses?

That’s one of the innovative concepts that serial entrepreneur Lee Caraher explores in her newly released book, “The Boomerang Principle: Inspire Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees.”

Ex-employees, if you treat them right when they still work for you, can become great resources for posting positive reviews, providing referrals, recommending potential employees, and even arranging for outside investments and partnerships.

Indeed, Lee tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart – whose own publishing and consulting business counts more than 500 ex-employees in its “alumni” network – that some of a company’s most valuable workers may well be those who no longer work there.

Photo: Lee Caraher, Double Forte
Posted: April 17, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 07 seconds 

Maria Uspenski’s company, The Tea Spot, is in the sweet spot of the $170 billion American beverage industry, which is undergoing a sea change, as consumers shift from sugary drinks and those that rely on artificial sweeteners, to all-natural refreshers.

Maria’s signature whole leaf blends and single-estate teas not only offer satisfying alternatives to sodas and coffee, they are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins, and other healthful ingredients.

An MIT educated mechanical engineer, Maria discovered the marvels of tea after surviving a harrowing battle with cancer. Tea transformed Maria’s life and health.

In addition to serving as CEO of The Tea Spot, Maria is the author of the recently published Cancer Hates Tea – a paperback that is part easy-to-understand health primer, part tea bible, and part lushly illustrated recipe book.

Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, an avowed coffee drinker, recently visited with Maria at The Tea Spot’s world headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, and drank in her business and health wisdom, as well as some freshly brewed organic Sugar Tamer exotic herbal infusion.

Photo: Maria Uspenski, Cancer Hates Tea
Posted: April 3, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 47 minutes 15 seconds 

Todd Lemense built a highly successful business with 80-plus employees and seemingly could do no wrong.  At least that’s what he thought.

Turns out Todd let his success-fueled pride get the better of him and, confident in his judgment above all else, led his business to crash and burn.

From the ashes, Todd rebuilt his life and developed a passion for helping others escape his ill-fated ego trip. His bestselling e-book, Lose Your Ego – Gain the World, has helped tens of thousands of CEOs, owners, and entrepreneurs better manage their success and keep their proper perspective.

Todd shares his life story, his hard-earned insights, and his infectious inspiration on this week’s podcast with host and reputation Dean Rotbart.

Photo: Todd Lemense, Lose Your Ego
Posted: March 27, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 16 seconds 

When surgeon Ryan Jones isn’t operating on patients, Dr. Jones is a busy entrepreneur aiming to redefine how students of all ages learn boring, but necessary course material.

Dr. Jones is co-founder of CoursePics, an impressive Phoenix-based start-up that combines elements often used in effective marketing – strong visuals, storytelling, surprise, and originality – to teach otherwise leaden topics such as biology, pharmacy, and social and behavioral science.

Join host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart as he tests the CoursePics method of learning, challenging Dr. Jones – and listeners – to quickly visualize and create a story based on ten randomly selected objects, and then commit those objects to long-term memory. 

Photo: Dr. Ryan Jones, CoursePics
Posted: February 27, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 47 minutes 29 seconds 

Ever wonder what happens after the cameras stop rolling on the CBS hit show, Undercover Boss? For Gina Rivera, who along with her company, Phenix Salon Suites were featured on Undercover Boss two years ago, her appearance launched enormous revenue growth and new opportunities.

In fact, with a boost from Undercover Boss, Phenix Salon Suites has become the fastest growing salon suite franchise in the U.S., zeroing in on 200 nationwide locations, and soon to enter the Chinese market.

This week, Gina regales host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart with the story of her exploding franchise business; her expansion into multiple beauty products lines; and her budding film career.

Photo: Gina Rivera, Phenix Salon Suites
Posted: February 13, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 41 minutes 05 seconds 

Brian O’Shea is in the business of stopping corporate spies and vandals from doing harm to businesses and professional practices. For every company, regardless of its size, Brian says there’s a criminal just salivating at the prospect of exploiting your security gaps.

Brian founded Striker Pierce Private Investigations in 2009, and has since conducted more than 3,000 investigations. Striker Pierce not only catches the bad guys, it also trains owners and executives how to prevent criminals from doing damage in the first place. 

This week, Brian tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart what every business executive, owner, and entrepreneur must know about crime prevention. 

Photo: Brian O'Shea, Striker Pierce Investigations
Posted: February 6, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 22 seconds 

Nancy Rosborough is a modern-day gold miner; only the nuggets she mines are wonderfully fragrant white truffles that despite their $500-a-pound price tag, are in great demand by gourmet chefs around the world.

Nancy’s company, Mycorrhiza Biotech, spent more than a decade figuring out how to successfully grow genuine Bianchetto truffles on loblolly pine trees – the only company in all of North America that’s cracked the code.

This week, our truffle sniffing host Dean Rotbart, not only shares Nancy’s story of perseverance and success, he reveals how other entrepreneurs can stake their own gilded truffle harvesting claims.

Photo: Nancy Rosborough, Mycorrhiza Biotech
Posted: January 30, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 34 minutes 

Can a single, solitary word change the nature and success of your business? Evan Carmichael says it can. His special word, unique to him, has transformed his young entrepreneurial life into that of a widely acknowledged social networking guru, not to mention a Toronto salsa-dancing legend. 

In his new book, Your One Word, Evan spells out what he says is the “powerful secret to creating a business and life that matters.”

This week, Evan reveals his “one word” and shows our hoofing host, Dean Rotbart, how he and his listeners can find and utilize their own special life-changing term.

Photo: Evan Carmichael, Your One Word
Posted: January 16, 2017
Monday Morning Run Time: 33 minutes 19 seconds