I help small businesses and entrepreneurs punch above their weight.
Through podcast production, practical tools, speaking, and web design — clearly scoped, clearly priced.
Ryan Miller · Founder, Rust Belt Startup
How I Can Help
Rust Belt towns aren’t done. They’re just getting started.
I believe small towns, small cities, and Rust Belt communities can rewrite their own story. The change happens where entrepreneurship and community meet: when people who love a place start building businesses there.
I’ve watched it happen in my hometown of Utica, NY. For more than a decade I’ve been Director of MVCC’s thINCubator, a local incubator and coworking space where I’ve worked with over 500 entrepreneurs and “want-repreneurs.” Those are the people with a great idea but no roadmap for getting started. I’ve seen what separates the ventures that launch from the ones that stall, and I’ve turned that into programs that work.
Here’s how I can help:
- Online programs for founders. I’ve taken years of in-person advising, mentoring, and teaching and built them into online programs. They give you a solid foundation and the practical skills to build a business that lasts.
- Websites that tell your story. A small business doesn’t just need a website. It needs a clear story and a marketing strategy that makes it stand out. I handle the whole build, from strategy to launch.
- Podcast production. Your expertise deserves an audience. I produce podcasts that help founders, organizations, and communities share their voice and build trust.
- Speaking and consulting for communities. I work with municipalities, colleges, and companies that want to give creatives, artists, and entrepreneurs what they need to build a better future. I bring what I’ve learned on the ground in Utica to your community.
If you’re serious about making change happen in your town, let’s talk.
Latest from The Rust Belt Startup Podcast
Resources & Toolkits
Practical tools for early-stage founders.
Napkin Math
Quick, no-fluff financial modeling for a new business idea - figure out if the math works before you build anything
- Break-even and price floor calculated for you
- Works for services, products, and side gigs
- Create ‘What-If’ scenarios and see Live Profitability
- Export your financial plan to PDF or Excel for your co-founder, bank or advisor
- No spreadsheet experience necessary
Couch to $1K
A practical on-ramp from idea to your first $1,000 in revenue — the tactical starting point most guides skip.
A step-by-step system that tells you exactly what to do each day — and coaches you through it — until you make your first $1,000. Built for real businesses: cleaning services, food trucks, photography, lawn care.
Speaking & Consulting
Keynotes and consulting on career readiness, entrepreneurship, and rust-belt economic development.
11 years directing MVCC’s thINCubator, plus an ongoing regional consulting practice — including helping businesses pick and connect the right digital tools, and helping other incubators build their own systems and programs.
Watch: “3 Truths & A Lie” — Keynote from MagnifiU Voices
