The Weekly Callout: 2 Owners, Brutally Honest Business Talk
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A Callout Digital podcast

The WeeklyCallout

The stuff business owners don’t post about.

The Weekly Callout is a business podcast where Rick Chorney and Simon Tesfalem get into what it really takes to grow and scale a business, with owners who have been through it.

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First episodes
November 2026
New episodes
Every week
Hosted from
Abbotsford + Toronto
Rec00:00:00The Weekly Callout
Rick Chorney
Rick ChorneyAbbotsford, BC
Simon Tesfalem
Simon TesfalemToronto, ON

The show

What is The Weekly Callout?

Most of what owners share online is the highlight reel. The Weekly Callout is the rest of it.

The Weekly Callout is a weekly business podcast from Callout Digital. Two owners sit down and talk about the parts of running a business that never make it onto social media, the struggles, the mistakes and the calls you make when nobody is watching.

If you can’t do it all yourself anymore, or you can see that point coming, this show is for you.

01

Who it’s for

People who run a business or want to. A lot of our guests run trades and service businesses, because that’s the world Callout works in every day, and the lessons carry over to any owner trying to grow without losing their life to it.

02

Where it comes from

Callout Digital started as a marketing agency for contractors. A lot of our best conversations happen in shops across Canada, when an owner tells us what’s really going on in the business. The Weekly Callout puts that kind of conversation on the record.

03

How every episode works

Every episode is built around its guest. Before we record, we plan the conversation around their story, so you hear what happened in their business in their own words. There’s banter too, because that’s how we actually talk.

The hosts

Meet the hosts of The Weekly Callout

Two of the three partners behind Callout Digital, one in Abbotsford and one in Toronto.

Rick ChorneyHost 01 · Abbotsford, BC

In Echo’s first year he was in the field by seven and on the laptop until one in the morning.

Host · Software & Product

Rick Chorney

Rick builds the AI and custom software at Callout Digital, and he still runs Echo Janitorial with his best friend Adrian. That first year cost him his health and his relationships, so he spent four hours learning how AI could take work off his plate. Echo went from $242K to just under a million dollars the next year.

Featured in Fortune · March 2026

Rick’s full story
Simon TesfalemHost 02 · Toronto, ON

Meta is where a local business builds demand, because Google only catches the people who are already searching.

Host · Meta, Growth & Content

Simon Tesfalem

Simon runs growth and content at Callout Digital, and Meta is his home turf. Born in Eritrea and raised across Uganda and Germany, he landed in Toronto with no job and a plan to build something that mattered. He taught himself digital marketing, learned Meta running campaigns for laser clinics and dental practices, and today he plans every campaign around how a customer actually decides at nine at night on a Tuesday.

Home service, dental and aesthetics

Simon’s full story

Topics

What you’ll hear on The Weekly Callout

Every guest brings their own story, so no two episodes go the same way. These are the things we keep coming back to.

  1. 01Growing past the point where you can do it all yourself
  2. 02Building demand on Meta with content that sounds like a real local business
  3. 03Handing your admin to AI, and what you have to accept when you do
  4. 04Burnout, balance and the signs that growth is starting to cost you your life
  5. 05Partnerships, including how three owners met and split up one business
  6. 06The businesses that didn’t make it, and why

Watch and follow

Where to watch The Weekly Callout

Find us at @TheWeeklyCallout everywhere. Full episodes live on YouTube, and the best moments from each one go out as clips.

Full episodesYouTube@TheWeeklyCalloutSubscribe ↗ ClipsInstagram@theweeklycalloutFollow ↗ ClipsTikTok@theweeklycalloutFollow ↗
AudioSpotifyand Apple PodcastsComing soon

Be a guest

Be a guest on The Weekly Callout

We talk to owners who have built something, the wins and the mess included. If that’s you, we’d like to hear your story.

  1. 01

    Apply

    Tell us about your business and the story you’d tell. It takes about two minutes.

  2. 02

    Pick your time

    If you’re a fit, the link to book your recording lands in your inbox right away. If we need a closer look, a real person on our team gets back to you by email.

  3. 03

    Record

    We record remotely in Riverside, right in Chrome on a laptop or desktop. Plan on about 75 minutes, and we plan the episode around your story ahead of time.

Guest applicationAbout 2 minutes

FAQ

Questions about The Weekly Callout

Anything else, email hello@calloutdigital.com and a real person gets back to you.

What is The Weekly Callout?

The Weekly Callout is a weekly business podcast from Callout Digital, hosted by Rick Chorney and Simon Tesfalem. It’s about what it really takes to grow and scale a business, told by owners who have been through it.

When does The Weekly Callout start?

The first episodes come out in November 2026, and a new episode goes up every week after that.

Where can I watch or listen?

Full episodes are on YouTube at @TheWeeklyCallout. Clips from every episode go out on Instagram and TikTok under the same name, and audio on Spotify and Apple Podcasts is coming soon.

Who are the guests?

Owners who have built something. A lot of them run trades and service businesses in Canada, because that’s the world Callout works in every day.

Is The Weekly Callout only for trades?

No. Many of the guests run trades and service businesses, but the conversations are about growing any business without losing your life to it.

How do I get on the show?

Fill in the guest form on this page. If you’re a fit, you get a link to pick your recording time right away. If we need a closer look, someone on our team gets back to you by email.

Do I need podcast experience to be a guest?

No. We plan the episode around your story before we record, so you know where the conversation is going before you sit down.

What do I need to record?

A laptop or desktop with Chrome, wired headphones and a quiet room. Riverside runs in the browser, so there’s nothing to install, and we send the rest of the prep before the day.

How long is a recording?

Plan on about 75 minutes. That’s 15 to get set up and test sound, then about an hour of conversation.

How long is each episode?

Most episodes are about an hour of conversation.

Do I need to be in Abbotsford or Toronto to be a guest?

No. We record remotely in Riverside, so you can join from anywhere with a laptop, wired headphones and a quiet room.

Who is behind The Weekly Callout?

Callout Digital, a Canadian AI software and automation company for trades and service businesses. Rick Chorney is based in Abbotsford, British Columbia and Simon Tesfalem is in Toronto, Ontario, and they’re two of Callout’s three partners.

Be a guest

Want to beon the show?

Tell us about your business and the story you’d tell. It takes about two minutes, and you hear back by email right away.

Apply to be a guest hello@calloutdigital.com
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