Parkville's Just Audio Featured On New CNBC Show

Win or lose, John Panzer is proud his business, Parkville's Just Audio, was among those chosen to compete in the new CNBC Prime reality series Crowd Rules where small businesses have a chance to win $50,000.

"It was probably about 2,000 small businesses they looked into and we were one of the 24 that they chose," Panzer said.

In each episode of the show three small business owners compete in front of a panel of three experts and a live studio audience of 97 whose votes determine which of them walks away with the prize, according to a news release from CNBC Prime.

Just Audio will be featured in an episode whose theme is "Becoming Your Own Boss," which airs at 9 p.m. June 25. In that episode, they compete against Call Charley, a roadside assistance business based in Upper Marlboro, and The Berkley Chop Shop, a hair studio based in Berkeley, MI.

Panzer said being a part of the show was a process that began back in March.

"First they sent us a camcorder and we had to answer questions and tape ourselves," Panzer said. "Then they sent a crew to the store and they interviewed us."

That was just the beginning. Panzer said he and his family, who also work at the shop, had to interview with the man who would serve as the "industry expert guest panelist" on their episode of the show, self-made multi-millionaire Steve Kaplan. 

Once Just Audio was selected as a contestant, CNBC sent John, his wife Monica and son John III to New York City for three days to tape the show.

"It was exciting," Panzer said. "We had a good time doing it."

The taping was in April, which means Panzer already knows who won.

But he's playing that close to the chest and besides, he said, win or lose he and his family and his business have gained a lot by participating.

"Forget about the two thousand [businesses they looked at] out of millions of small businesses in the country we were one of 24 chosen to participate," Panzer said. "It made us look at ourselves in a way we hadn't before. One amazing thing we've seen, from research small businesses grow an average of four to five percent a year - for the last seven years we've averaged 23 percent." 

And Panzer, who struck out on his own and started Just Audio in 2005, said that's something he plans to keep up.

"We're going to continue to grow and help the economy," he said.

And do you want to know whether or not winning $50,000 on national television is part of that plan? You'll just have to tune in and find out.