In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews J.R. McNair, founder of Small Business Day. The conversation begins with a sponsor plug for Authors Unite, then moves into McNair’s personal story of winning a high‑school wrestling match against the odds, which he frames as a lesson in confidence and preparation. He shares his core business advice: incorporate early, preferably as a C‑corp or S‑corp rather than an LLC, to reduce tax and personal liability and to attract investors. McNair emphasizes taking action over perfection, encouraging entrepreneurs to launch ideas, gather feedback, and be ready to pivot. Reflecting on his younger self, he advises ignoring others’ opinions, noting he turned down multiple six‑figure offers to pursue his own ventures. He defines happiness through his Christian faith, stating fulfillment comes from doing God’s purpose rather than chasing money. McNair cites "Rich Dad Poor Dad" as the book that reshaped his view of assets versus liabilities, influencing how he structures his businesses and real‑estate holdings. He highlights a Calvin Coolidge quote on perseverance as the key to business success. Finally, he directs listeners to his personal site (jrmcnair.com) and the Small Business Day platform (smallbusinessday.com), the nation’s largest startup launch event.
Chapters
Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have JR McNair with us. He's the founder of Small Business Day. So welcome to the show, JR.
Thank you so much, thank you so much for having me.
Of course, man, thank you for joining us. We appreciate it. Uh, we'll dive into the first one. The first question I have for you, JR, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Well, I believe it was the first time I won my first match against a great opponent on the wrestling mat. I remember sitting in the locker room and going out there and he was a great opponent. Everybody said I was going to lose. I remember my coach telling me one thing. He said, JR, every man puts on his pants the same way that you do, one leg at a time. I did that, went out there with confidence, ended up winning that match, went on to win the first state championship that my school had in wrestling. So it was It was a great feat.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Well, I think the most valuable thing I would tell people is to go out and incorporate a company. I think that by setting up an incorporation, you immediately eliminate your tax liability tremendously and your personal liability tremendously. And you also set yourself up to be funded from investors going forward. So, and I would say typically set up a Class C or a Class S corporation, not an LLC.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
I would say, you know, get out there and do stuff. Don't try to be so perfect when you're getting out there. You know, really go out and pursue something because more than likely the idea that you have right now is gonna more than likely pivot and turn somewhere else. So just get out there, try something, get feedback, And then keep going. That might fail, but the next thing you might do might work. So just get out there, be an entrepreneur. That would be the biggest thing that I would tell people.
I agree. And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
It would be to not really care so much about what people thought. You know, really don't care so much about what people think about you or really what they might say if you make a decision. I turned down 3 6-figure job offers at 21, graduated top of my class from college, and everybody thought I was crazy. My first business did very well, you know, but it had rocky moments. So I would just tell myself, make a decision, don't really care about what people think or say about you, just go forward and you're gonna do well.
And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
I would say, me being a believer, I'm a Christian, I believe that I'm here to do what God's placed me here to do. Happiness to me is doing his will for my life. And in that, you know, I believe I'm here to help people. So, you know, and I love to do that. And I'm like I said, I enjoy doing what I'm doing. And so as long as you're doing what you're doing, you feel like you're fulfilled, because money isn't everything. You're making a lot of money, you don't feel like you're doing your purpose, then I believe it's a waste of time.
And what is the best book that you've read? And what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Um, I would say I was 14 years old, something like that. I read Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki. And I think it was just the whole way he really kind of flipped on the head, really, finances, assets versus liabilities, really showing that your home wasn't really an asset, but really a liability. And so all of my businesses that I've set up from that point, I set them up in a capacity where they're assets. Any real estate that I have from that point, I set them up as they were also assets. So it's really helped me have a better viewpoint of finances.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Well, I'll say it's a quote by Calvin Coolidge. He's one of our past presidents, and he was talking about perseverance. He pretty much said that it's not about being talented, it's not about being smart. But the one thing that's going to help people get to a certain level of success is perseverance. And I believe that that's the key in business. I know a lot of people who started out a business strong, and and ended up failing because they just gave up. Or there were other people in business that started out of business horribly, and then they kept going and their business succeeded. So I think that the key is just perseverance.
Yes, man. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online?
Well, you can find me online at jrmcnair.com. Our website for Small Business Day is smallbusinessday.com. .com. We're the largest startup launch event in the nation.
Amazing, dude. Thank you so much for coming on. We appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
The podcast you just heard was published with Anchor. Got something you want to say to the creator of this show? Send them a voice message using the Anchor app, free for iOS and Android.
