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The waitlist is the business plan
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Hosted by Maren Holt
Maren ran a twelve-person bindery in Providence for fourteen years, then sold it to her staff. She started Even Keel to ask other owners the questions she once answered alone: what to charge, when to hire, and how to leave well.
- Open ten years or moreEvery business on the show has made it through at least one hard decade.
- Funded by customersProfitable, with no venture rounds and no plan to sell to a roll-up.
- Small on purposeTeams of two to forty people who chose depth over speed.
24episodes so far
3seasons, since Sept 2025
6 a.m.Eastern, every Tuesday
Every episode
Twenty-four conversations across three seasons. Search by guest, business or idea, or filter by the question you are working on.
Season 1 and 2 episodes carry the show artwork. Chapters, guest portraits and transcripts start with Season 3.
Guests
Owners who have kept an independent business open for ten years or more, in their own words.
About Even Keel
A weekly interview show about independent businesses that last: how they price, hire, run the day to day, and eventually hand over the keys.
Why this show
Most business media covers the first three years and the exit. Almost nobody talks to the bakery in year twenty-two, the type foundry in year nineteen, or the hardware store on its third owner. Those businesses know things growth stories skip: how to raise prices without losing the regulars, how to hire one person at a time, and how to step back without the place falling apart.
Every Tuesday, Maren Holt sits down with one owner for about an hour. No hot takes, no listicles, and no advice that only works with a venture round behind it.
Who we talk to
- Open ten years or more. Long enough to have survived a recession, a bad hire and at least one supplier going under.
- Funded by customers. Profitable, without venture capital, and not being dressed up for a sale.
- Small on purpose. Usually between two and forty people, by choice rather than by circumstance.
Know someone who fits? Suggest a guest.
The team
- Host
- Maren Holt
- Producer
- Jonah Feld
- Editing and mix
- Ama Dorsey
- Original music
- Lio Navarro
- Show notes and research
- Teo Bryce
- Recorded at
- Wickenden Street, Providence
Sponsorship
Even Keel carries two sponsors per season. Maren reads every ad herself, only for products the team has used, and never in the middle of a guest’s answer. Season 4 slots open in December.
Sponsorship enquiriessponsors@evenkeel.show
Suggest a guest
Thank you. Suggestion received.
We read every suggestion and reply within two weeks.
Contact
Listeners and general questionshello@evenkeel.show
Press and interview requestspress@evenkeel.show
Privacy
Last updated September 1, 2026
What we collect
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The Tuesday letter
If you subscribe, we keep your email address and the date you joined. We use it only to send the letter and never sell or share it. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link.
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We count page views and episode plays with a cookie-free analytics tool. We see totals, not people.
Your choices
- Clear your playback history by clearing this site’s storage in your browser.
- Ask for a copy or deletion of your newsletter record at hello@evenkeel.show.
- Guest suggestions are deleted twelve months after we reply.
Terms
Last updated September 1, 2026
Listening and sharing
Episodes are free to stream, download and share in full with credit to Even Keel. Please link to the episode page rather than re-uploading the audio.
Quoting transcripts
You may quote up to three hundred words from any transcript with a link back. For longer excerpts, or for use in paid products, write to press@evenkeel.show.
Guest suggestions
Suggesting a guest does not guarantee an interview. We may contact the business you suggest and mention that a listener recommended them, without using your name unless you agree.
Changes
If these terms change, the date above changes with them and the Tuesday letter will say so.
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