good morning. coming up on msnbc's, "your business," the impact of president trump's immigration order on growing businesses. a photographer rock star ditches the glamour and starts a business making notebooks to find it's just as exciting. a florida entrepreneur targeting a in each, cleaning up after crime scenes and hoarders. all that and more ways to grow your company, coming up next on "your business."

we all probably have an idea of some glamorous job we could have, a rock star, a famous chef or photographer. but, we also know that the reality doesn't always fit the dream. one rock music photographer walked away from the life he created for himself. he quit the gig after hobnobbing with and snapping images of the biggest chart toppers in the industry. he put down the camera and made

the switch from pictures to paper. by the time he was just 16 years old, chris rothe already had his dream job. >> going in front of people standing in line for two hours, photographing the band they clearly loved and most of the time hanging out with the band after the show. >> he was a photographer, capturing the rock 'n roll lives of billie joe armstrong and scott weiland. it seemed life couldn't get better. >> i shot nickelback, pearl jam, creed. there's another one for you. guns n' roses, slash. >> a teenage success, it looked like this would be his life's career. it's not. here is chris today. he's a businessman. his business is notebooks.

>> modern stationary company. who would have thought in this day and age where technology rules the world that a stationary company could continue to pop up and succeed in an ever competitive digital market? >> this is a far cry from the music industry from on the outside looks glamorous. chris learned early on the image of a job doesn't always meet the reality. >> it was the time where all the online things became posh and popular. i have 13-year-old girls standing next to me with their point and shoot rainbow bright camera and we are huddled in like cadttle waiting to be slaughtered. had enough of this. done. >> now that he was out of the music industry, he looked to his father's company, allied

binding, a book binding company. that's where he landed. comparison to his old life was a shock at first. >> it was so much fun. i have access to this. there was never a question, it's fun all the time. then it's like, well, this sucks. this is not fun. you know what i mean? >> not only that, now, instead of working alone, chris was knee-deep in a family business and we all know what that can mean. >> i'm not going to candy coat this. we have had hea lashs fights. the doors don't have doors on them. we had epic blow ups. >> we are not a lot alike. it's rough. he doesn't listen to me a lot. >> it wasn't working. chris needed an out. he found it in the form of machinery sitting idle in the factory. it gave him an idea. >> it's time to take it from a business-to-business entity and create something that has our

attitude, our flair. >> so, he started his own business, write notepads and company. the first was a notebook. it was a calculated decision. it wasn't the product he was most passional about, but the one that could kick off his brand. >> it was the gateway product. it has a perfect crossover. it's not confused with a massively produced asian notebook or everyone some of the other competitors we have, some of their notebooks. >> he felt launching a notebook with his stamp on it is the easiest way to get an entry into a cut throat stationary market. chris and his social contact director thought long and hard about what made the company different. >> we go after collectors and people who want something different. our collectors make a certain

amount of money, they have a certain amount of education. if we go after, you know, kim kardashian, it's a waste of money to us. >> the basic skills chris learned as a photographer transferred to running the business. whether it's a photo or notebook, they had a figure out a way to connect with the consumer. >> it's a writing pad. you cannot connect and form a relationship. if they don't want to be around you, they are not going to buy you. >> chris started getting customers and soon expanded to the products more interested in like pocket notebooks and customized design the goal was to appeal to the people that use fine writing instruments, specifically fountain pens. we wanted people to find it on a store shelf or see it online and feel like this is the same kind of notebook i would have found on my grandfather's dusty workbench. >> today, they have 20 products and keeps on growing.

chris surprised himself. indeed, running a growing business gave him a purpose that rivals the one he had on the road. >> coming up with the idea for notepads reinvigorated me. creativity i once had. >> chris' business, making notebooks is about helping people get organized. the next story is about a business focused on cleaning up after chaos. we met an owner in florida that cleans up crime scenes and hoarder associations. getting the word out to customers can be a challenge. in shows like "csi" and "breaking bad" crime scenes and meth labs are pivotal. in real life, after the tape is cleared there's chaos behind that no one wants to clean up. that is no one but laura spaulding. after being on the scene for a

terrible crime, she saw an opportunity. >> it was a double homicide. it was on christmas. i was helping these people that had no means to pay for it but their homeowners insurance covered the clean up. after i was done with the clean up, i thought this is it for me. this is exactly what i want to do. >> she started spaulding decon, a company that specializes in crime scene, meth lab and hoarder clean up. she found she had little competition. the work wasn't steady, at first. >> the clean ups or sporadic. you can't open a brick and mortar and put a for sale sign. it's death related. we added hoarding in 2006 and meth lab clean up as well. >> laura can't spend her days waiting for the phone to ring. she has to hit the street and go door-to-door. >> it's awareness. i go to multiple hotels,

apartment complexes and insurance companies. when they get the call, they don't know where to turn. >> gay met her through a mutual acquaintan acquaintance. then tragedy struck. >> my son was killed. he was murdered by a young man he was going to give a ride to work that morning. the police came and had my house for most of the day that day. when they let me back in, they told me that there would be, you know, a lot to clean up and that it was biomedical waste, it would be better to get somebody. >> a quick call made to a number she never imagined she would have to dial and laura's team came in. she was thankful she didn't have to do it herself. >> i was happy i met her before. a lot of people don't realize there's a company to do that

kind of thing. >> not all publicity is good publicity. >> this is not your typical service. this is not a typical coupon or find a buy one get one free. obviously, that's not going to apply. you have to be strategic about how you advertise. some of the add versaillesing has been billboards with outlines of dead bodies. that will get your attention. i know they are going for an awareness type of thing. maybe it worked for them. that type of approach doesn't work for us. >> instead, discreet profession professional brotures make sure each customer base is addressed separately. >> i designed a broture to talk to them rather than a one size fits all. the hoarders don't want to know you do a crime scene and you are associating them with crime scenes. they feel worse about

themselves. >> that sensitivity to what her customer needs also spills over into how her team delivers on each and every job. >> for hoarding, we are very, very sensitive about how we speak to them. we teach the employee, you have to be emp thetic. >> we are going to get started and bag up a couple bags. >> even on the job, she's not taking care of herself. the high level of service her business is known for continues on. her ability to speak to the needs of her customers and market what many see as an unsavory business means the future is brought for spaulding decon, not only in florida, but nationwide. she's franchising and has inquiries pouring in. >> we do the services no one wants to think about. we provide peace of mind. the growth for this business is unbelievable. it's recession proof business. it's never going to go away. the need is never going to go

away. the awareness is only growing. it has been a busy week in washington. propelled by the president taking action in two areas. president donald trump signing several executive orders. he signed one that would cut regulations he says are holding back the economy. >> that's what this is about today. this will be the biggest act that our country has ever seen. the bill will be regulation, controlled, but it will be a normalized control where you can open your business and expand your business very easily. >> earlier in the week, the president signed executive orders on immigration including a 90-day ban for people traveling to the u.s. from seven muslim countries. that erupted protest. how will the executive orders affect your business?

>> judy which ychu is -- it's s to see you congresswoman. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> we have a lot to talk about here. i want to start with immigration. obviously, there are a lot of -- there's a lot of controversy around this. people feel very strongly one way or the other. i want to focus this conversation on small business and how this executive order actually affects small business owners, if we could start there. >> well, there are many small businesses that are started by immigrants. in fact, immigrants are twice as likely to become entrepreneurs than native born people. they are the ones who took the big risk of coming here and they are the ones who are more likely to take the risk of starting a small business. so, we would severely hurt the start ups of small businesses if

we were actually to have this executive order continue on for months, if not decades. >> let's move on to regulation for a moment. there's a lot of talk and we have spoken a lot on this show, we had the chairman ofour committee on talking about it and talking about how regulation small business owners. too much regulation hurts small business owners. every small business owner i talk to agrees with that to an extent, right? many of them are local and not federal regulations that hurt small business owners. sometimes it's simply about trying to figure out what the regulation is, not complying with the regulation. let's just start by -- you let me know if you agree. for small business owners there are regulations that make it trickier to run your business. >> yes, there are regulations that do make it tricky. there are a mare yad of them.

they are mostly local. they are city or state regulations that affect small businesses and what i think the small businesses need is the guidance to get through them. the trump executive order primarily deals with federal regulations and i already know that there is a small business enforcement fairness act which looks at the effect of regulations and their impact on small business. that had already existed prior to trump's executive order. >> so, do you understand the executive order well enough? i will admit to the audience, i have read through and talked to a lot of people, but i'm still confused on how it will work. or is it simply directive to say, look, i believe that regulations are hampering small businesses and business in general and so i want to

directionally say i want to be more considerate about it? >> it's a two-for-one regulation order. basically, it says that if you have a new regulation, then you have to get rid of two that exist already. in order to identify those two that you have to get rid of, you would look at these regulations that have been submitted by federal agencies as the most likely candidates. >> it sounds very easy, two-for-one. when you get into the details, as i understand it, more needs to be unpacked when we talk about this. >> oh, exactly. what are you talking about? are you talking about workers safety or environmental regulations? is anything up for grabs? it certainly isn't just the regulations that affect small business. it is the kind of regulations

that would affect our every day living, our quality of life, the things that make us safe, the things that make our food likely for us to eat that would make sure that we are healthy people in this country. >> congresswoman, i thank you so much for stopping by and talking with us. we hope to keep having this chat with you throughout the year. >> thank you. >> thank you. ted talks are a great way to get you thinking outside of the box and get inspired by what others are doing. these influential videos from speakers across a wide range of topics could be what you need. this week, we turn to smallbiztrends.com for ted talks for entrepreneurs. one, steven johnson, where good ideas come from. he challenges the misconception that innovation comes from a brilliant eureka moment. he argues solutions are born of hard work, preparation and team

work. two, tim urban, inside the mind of a master procrastinator. this funny ted talk guides you to look at pra kast nation to better prioritize your life. three, dalia mogahed. what do you think when you look at me? a muslim. she shines the light on why empathy is a critical skill and the importance of being aware of how we respond to people dimpt from us. four, bill gross. the biggest reason why star ups succe succeed. new businesses face a high failure rate. he uses analytics of what makes success and failure. five, pamela meyer. how to spot a liar. why honestly is a value worth preserving in society. how is it going, i'm j.

winklepleck. >> i'm jordan hunnell. 3% of apparel sold in the u.s. is made in the u.s. 8 in 10 people would rather buy american made than imported. >> we are veterans and best friends that created american made supply co. we focus on a great experience from start to finish from when you order online and receive your package. we have 30 styles for men and women. all are laundered, preshrunk. prices from $20 to $80. we have several exchanges from online to international distributors. we are here today to raise $2 million to grow and enhance our business. we are on track to do $2 million of gross in our business. >> 10% of the apparel in the u.s. is made here. >> good job, both of you.

thank you for coming on into the elevator. >> thanks for having me. >> give you these. two numbers. the first one, 1-10, on what you think of the product, the second of the pitch. let's start with you, alicia. >> i gave you a seven on both. the product front looks great. i love the branding. i loved hearing about the competitive advantages, it's clearly a big market. i have no sense of pricing. i feel that would be important to know who you are targeting. on the pitch side, you did a good job. i love hearing the milestones, your ask and the uses. i have no sense for your background other than you are close friends. that's huge for me as an investor. >> you have backgrounds that are very relevant to what you are doing. tom? >> i pick up on that point. i give you a ten. i tell you why. i love t-shirts. i wear them all the time. you can't find a t-shirt that is consistently of the right quality. here is what you are doing.

community around the product. that's huge. brand is the most important thing you can do with a new product line. a nine on the pitch because you were almost there. i agree more of your background is important, but more passion. you know, it was too robotic for me. >> yeah. >> you are doing this because you love doing it. you have done it your entire lives and it shows in your product. emphasize that. get that passion out there. >> it shows when you are talking about it before you were doing the pitch. that is the tricky thing, how do you get that same passion, off the cuff talking when saying something you have practiced 1,000 times. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. srk 60 seconds. >> great talk. congratulations, good luck going forward. look forward to seeing tom wearing your t-shirts. when we come back, why millennial employees should be mentoring you. plus, we have all been through it, ways to deal with the ups and downs of owning a business.

will your business be ready when growth presents itself? american express open cards can help you take on a new job, or fill a big order or expand your office and take on whatever comes next. find out how american express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open.com. we have an e-mail from trent "how does an owner deal with being patient with the ebb and

flow and ups and downs of business. >> such an important question. ebb and flow is typical of have entrepreneur. you own the pros and you own the cons. i say before doing anything, step back and ask yourself, are you a seasonal business? for example, at pipeline angels, we are a seasonal business. we hold our accounts in the fall and in the spring, so that means we have offseasons. and so, if you get a sense that the ebb and flow actually there's a consistency to that, that means you can program around it, maybe come up with a service or a product that you can actually sell offseason so that you can actually have a more consistent year, or alternatively, also think about how you can build and prep, you know, prepare for the next season during the offseasons. and so, thinking about it as something that you can take advantage of versus something that can necessarily be a little bit, you know, worrying. we now have the "top 2 tips" you need to know to help your

small business grow. alicia seret and tom galopolos are back with us again. hello, you too. >> hi, there. >> your advice in the elevator, now your piece of advise for business owners this week. tom? >> i think one of the things most businesses don't understand well is how to deal with generational differences, the frictions between generations. we have five generations working in most companies, and it creates so much friction and divisiveness that it's impossible to collaborate in that kind of a company. so, my advice is simple, start a reverse mentoring program. young kids have them be mentors to older individuals. and that way, you bridge the gap. you create a post-generational organization. because focusing on generations is just going to put wedges into your organization. not a good idea. >> very interesting. i think it's a great idea, particularly there's a lot, technology alone, right, there's a lot that younger people can

teach the older people in the office. >> absolutely. >> but i do hate talking about generations, right? i do hate the idea of millennials are this way, these people are this way, because tell me if you think i'm wrong -- it's create the culture that you want in your company and then hire to that culture, and you will be able to find a millennial who works this way or a generation x person who works this way, i think. >> it is not about generations, it's about the behavior. and if you build the culture, you hire people who fit that culture and who can adapt to that culture. that's what i mean about post-generational thinking. we're stuck in these generations, and we're so proud of being millennials or boomers, we have no choice in our behavior. take pride in your culture, not your generation. >> and we'll air a piece in a couple weeks, stop thinking about people as millennials or genx or baby boomers, think of them as perennials. that's coming up. >> so, test the candidate's fit

before hiring. all too often, you have small business owners and even large corporations hire someone after just a few meetings or going through the detail in their resume, but i would recommend taking a step even further. give them a project to work on. and then you can judge their work quality, and more importantly, you can also see, what's the cultural fit like when they respond to your feedback. >> so, how often can you do this, right? so, if somebody is looking for a job, doesn't have another job, right, then maybe it's okay, they'll be willing to do it. >> right. >> but if it's someone you really want to hire -- >> well, you have to tailor it. if it's someone who's already employed, maybe a small project. if someone's in between jobs, you could do a short-term consulting or hiring arrangement. but the idea is to do something beyond the traditional meetings that often wind up in bad hiring situations, because if you test that fit beforehand, you're saving time and money. >> absolutely. all right. thanks both of you very much. this week's #yourbizselfie

comes from bill, who is better known as mr. sleboggan from wilmot, new hampshire. he combines all the fun of toboggany with the steering capability of a sled. he has a sleboggan park with three runs and is turning it into aew winter sport. that looks incredibly fun. why don't you take a selfie of your and your business and send it to us at yourbusiness@msnbc.com? we love seeing them on the show. you can tweet them t to @msnbcyourbiz. put your name, your business name and location and #yourbizselfie. every day, new websites pop up to make your workload lighter, but which ones deliver? we asked our viewers which ones they swear about. >> one web tool that i like to use is shipping easy. i have a shopify website that links to shipping easy and all our orders go straight there and

we ship our u.p.s. and usps packages from the application. >> so, a great platform for new businesses is something called upwork, and it allows you to reach freelancers who you can spend a small amount of money just to do things like photography or editing a website or writing blogs or writing copy, and you can choose who your supplier is, as it were, and how much you can pay. >> an app i really like is forest. it t basically locks you out of your phone for a set amount of time and you grow a tree, so you can't use your phone, you don't get notifications, so you can focus on whatever else is going on at your computer or elsewhere. and as you grow trees, you can grow your forest, compete with friends and actually plant trees in india through getting points on the app. >> so, we use an app called ibotta. it's an online digital couponing resource that we put coupons on for specific retailers.

>> thank you so much for joining us. we'd love to hear from you. if you have any questions or comments about the show, e-mail us at yourbusiness@msnbc.com. also, please click on our website. it's openforum.com/yourbusiness. we've put all of the segments from today up there, plus a whole lot more for you. also, connect with us on all of our digital and social media platforms as well. we look forward to seeing you next time. until then, i'm jj ramberg. and remember, we make "your business" our business. will your business be ready when growth presents itself? american express open cards can help you take on a new job, or fill a big order

or expand your office and take on whatever comes next. find out how american express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open.com. good morning, and welcome to "politics nation." last night, president trump was confident his administration will win an ongoing legal battle over his immigration ban. even as protesters across the country took to the streets. last night, a federal appeals court refused the white house request to immediately