Open For Business Podcast
Hosted by Open For Business
A casual business podcast where two Canadian entrepreneurs interview fellow small business owners about their origin stories and struggles.
A friendly, entry-level business podcast focused on the origin stories of small, often local, Canadian businesses. The hosts, themselves entrepreneurs, create a comfortable space for guests in fields like organic farming, fashion, and beauty to share their founding stories, operational challenges, and future plans.
“Its hyper-local focus and the hosts' genuine, pre-existing rapport with many guests create a "friends talking shop" vibe, making it more of a community showcase than a typical expert interview show.”
Who hosts this show
Mitchell Felice and Kristina Speciale, a couple and business partners, host this podcast to explore the rewards and struggles of entrepreneurship. They interview fellow small business owners, often from their local Canadian community, about how they started and grew their ventures. The show, which focused on relatable stories from fields like farming, fashion, and beauty, appears to be dormant after its first season in 2020.
Credentials & credits
- Co-Host (Mitchell Felice): Founder of MEE-CHef, a custom culinary apparel and promotional gear company.
- Co-Host (Kristina Speciale): Co-owner of businesses including Greenpaw and BeauTEETHful Teeth Whitening.
Other ventures
- MEE-CHef (Mitchell's business)
- Greenpaw (Kristina's business)
- BeauTEETHful Teeth Whitening (Kristina's business)
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01OFB Podcast | Season FinaleMay 23, 2020 · 36 min
- 02OFB Podcast | Episode 11 | Little Farm That CouldApr 7, 2020 · 1h 03m
- 03OFB Podcast | Episode 10 | Urban DappermanApr 1, 2020 · 48 min
- 04Open For Business Podcast | Episode 9 | Unionville ApplianceMar 24, 2020 · 52 min
- 05Open For Business Podcast | Episode 8 | GreenPAWMar 17, 2020 · 35 min
- 06Open For Business Podcast | Episode 7 | AngelaMar 10, 2020 · 1h 05m
- 07Open For Business Podcast | Episode 6 | Sella LashMar 3, 2020 · 55 min
- 08Open For Business Podcast | Episode 4 | LengthsFeb 18, 2020 · 49 min
Notable episodes
- 01OFB Podcast | Episode 11 | Little Farm That Could
A deep dive into the philosophy of small-scale organic farming, contrasting it with commercial agriculture, featuring guest Mike from a local farm.
- 02OFB Podcast | Episode 10 | Urban Dapperman
Features an interview with the founder of a men's accessory brand who details his plans for a sustainability campaign and expanding into a women's line.
- 03OFB Podcast | Season Finale
A behind-the-scenes co-host chat where Mitchell and Kristina answer audience questions and reflect on the challenges and highlights of their first season.
What you'll be asked on this show
Mitchell and Kristina take a warm, supportive approach, often starting with the origin of the business's name to ground the conversation. They guide the discussion chronologically from idea to execution, asking about the founder's personal journey ("Did you always see yourself as a...?"), practical challenges ("How do you balance your day job?"), and future ambitions ("What are your five-year goals?"). They build rapport by mentioning their own use of the guest's products and ask for actionable advice for the audience near the end. The style is more of a friendly chat than a critical interrogation.
A two-host conversational interview format. The hosts, Mitchell and Kristina, have a casual, back-and-forth dynamic and often share personal experiences related to the guest's journey. Episodes begin with a formal introduction of the guest and their business before moving into a chronological interview. The season finale was a notable exception, formatted as a co-host Q&A session reflecting on their podcasting journey.
Questions Open For Business keeps coming back to
11 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Open For Business reaches for it.
origin
2- Q.01
“Where did the idea and name for your business come from?”
This is a consistent opening question used to establish the brand's origin story.
- Q.02
“What was your childhood dream for your life?”
A follow-up to 'Did you always see yourself as...' to dig deeper into the guest's backstory.
personal
1- Q.01
“Did you always see yourself becoming a [guest's profession]?”
Used early on to explore the guest's personal journey and contrast it with their original life plans.
mindset
1- Q.01
“How do you balance your day job with this side hustle?”
A practical question for guests who are not yet full-time in their venture.
future
2- Q.01
“What are your five-year goals for the company?”
Asks the guest to articulate their long-term vision and ambition.
- Q.02
“What future initiatives or new products do you have planned?”
Prompts the guest to talk about what's next for the business.
advice
2- Q.01
“What's your advice for someone starting their own business in your industry?”
A closing question designed to provide actionable takeaways for listeners.
- Q.02
“What's the most important strategy for a direct-to-customer business?”
Seeks specific strategic advice relevant to many of their guests' business models.
craft
1- Q.01
“How does your approach differ from others in your field?”
This question helps define the business's unique selling proposition.
process
2- Q.01
“If you could go back, what would you change about starting the podcast?”
Asked during the finale to discuss lessons learned from their own project.
- Q.02
“What's your favorite part of doing the podcast and why?”
A self-reflective question asked during their season finale Q&A.
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Local (often Greater Toronto Area) small business owners and side-hustlers in direct-to-consumer industries like food, fashion, beauty, and home services.
- Mike from The Little Farm That Couldon OFB Podcast | Episode 11 | Little Farm That Could
- Nick from Urban Dappermanon OFB Podcast | Episode 10 | Urban Dapperman
- Sal from Unionville Applianceon Open For Business Podcast | Episode 9 | Unionville Appliance
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast appears to be self-sponsored, with mentions of "Mechef Studios," which is likely a reference to co-host Mitchell Felice's own culinary apparel business, MEE-CHef.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Open For Business
i•••@•••.comFree: limited reveals · Pro: unlimited reveals + CSV export
You’re only charged when we return a verified hit.
People also ask
- Who are the hosts?
- The hosts are Mitchell Felice and Kristina Speciale, a Canadian couple and fellow entrepreneurs.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It's a conversational interview show where the hosts talk to small business owners about their journey. The season one finale was a co-host Q&A.
- Is the podcast still active?
- No, the podcast appears to be dormant. The first and only season was released in early 2020.
- What kind of guests do they have?
- They primarily interview local Canadian entrepreneurs from various fields like farming, fashion, appliance repair, and beauty services.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- Episodes are available on the Open For Business Podcast YouTube channel.
- How can I be a guest on the show?
- The podcast description provides an email, [email — gated], for inquiries, but the show has been inactive since 2020.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
Podcasts like Open For Business Podcast
Saad Rashid - YouTube Automation
Saad Rashid
A Pakistani host interviews creators of 'faceless' YouTube channels, breaking down their niche strategies, AI workflows, and revenue generation.
Silicon Valley Girl
Silicon Valley Girl
An entrepreneur interviews the founders and scientists building the next wave of AI to uncover practical strategies for career and business growth.
The Arena
The Arena
A daily sports debate show where 3-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and a panel of former pros give unfiltered takes on basketball news.
Backstage with Millionaires
Pankaj Chauhan
A weekly news show and documentary-style channel breaking down the biggest stories and trends in the Indian startup and venture capital ecosystem.
Thomas Brush
Thomas Brush
A podcast for aspiring indie game developers, hosted by a solo dev who interviews peers about the practical and emotional journey of making games.
The Founder's Dream | Abhishek vyas
The Founder
A Hindi-language business podcast featuring long-form interviews with Indian startup founders about their real-world journeys and industries.
Rusty Quill Podcasts
Rusty Quill Podcasts
A network feed from a London-based production house specializing in full-cast speculative fiction and horror audio dramas.
HAHA Podcast
Three Korean-American sisters and YouTubers bring their chaotic, unfiltered group chat to a weekly video podcast.