198 The Truths All Entrepreneurs Must Hear (Starting A Business in 2022)
Changing careers is a daunting task.
Quitting your day job to start your own business can be downright scary.
But it's what I had to do when I realized that I was no longer "all in" on my 9-5 job.
In hindsight, it was the best decision I ever made, but it certainly wasn't easy.
I know that many of you are wrestling with the same decision, right now. Especially now that 2022 is officially here and the motivation to make a change is much higher with a fresh year upon us!
If you're one of the many people who have dreams of quitting their day job to start their own business, you're probably wondering if it's actually worth the risk. After all, starting your own business can be downright scary – especially when you don't know if it will be successful. But if you're motivated and passionate about your idea, then it might be worth taking the leap. Here are a few tips for making the switch from employee to entrepreneur.
Uncle Chuck’s BBQ Sauce | New Food Brand from Award Winning Chef, Cheryl Torrance
Cheryl Torrance aka Chef Inked aka Uncle Chuck is BACK on the podcast for her second appearance - this time to talk about her new venture.
You might remember Cheryl from episode 3. The early days of the show!
Chery was one of our first guests on Visionary Life, and almost 4 years ago I remember taking the TTC to the spin studio she works at called Torq, and sitting on the windowsill recording with a single $90 microphone.
Let’s just say, a LOT has changed since then! Both for Cheryl and for the podcast.
Coach JVB | She Runs a Fitness Empire, But It Wasn't Always That Way!
Jenny is The President of STRONG Fitness Mag, Founder of Team Strong Girls, Fitness Coach turned Fitness Publisher and Host of Find Your Strong Podcast.
She’s also a Mom of 2 and Wife, and fun fact she’s actually in business with her husband!
Jenny does a lot, but still shows up to serve and connect with her community just like she did back in 2012 when she launched her bootcamp classes and was trying to escape her job selling laser toners, which was NOT her passion.
In this episode we chat about:
Jenny’s transformation story and her McDonald’s miracle that was a true wake up call
The moment she decided to enroll herself back at school and stop her partying lifestyle in pursuit of more purpose
We talk about the highs and lows over the past decade as a business owner
Where the business is at today and what her team looks like
And how she’s managing to continue to find HER STRONG with such a jam packed schedule.
107 truLOCAL Founder Marc LaFleur on Selling Meat Online, Elevating the Customer Experience & Going 'All In' on your Business
truLOCAL is more than just a box of (delicious) meat. It's the community they’ve built, the producers that they work with, the members of their team, and the journey in launching and scaling this epic business - that has truly set them apart.
Locally raised meat, delivered to your door. Learn the backstory of this Meat Empire!
106 It's Never Too Late to Chase Your Dreams with Country Music Artist Alli Walker
Alli is quickly garnering the attention of the country music industry with her unique style of music that she coins 'Mindful Music' and 'Conscious Country' which is authentic and vulnerable storytelling based on mental health subjects, empowering messages, life’s hard lessons, and the tough questions we ask ourselves.
Jesse Cole | Taking The Biggest Risk of Your Life, Marketing Tips & The Savannah Bananas
Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, the creator of The Savannah Bananas and the author of Find Your Yellow Tux & Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience.
His teams have welcomed more than one million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, ESPN and in Entrepreneur Magazine, but it wasn’t always sunshine & bananas in Jesse’s world.
Just over 5 years ago he and his wife Emily were sleeping on an air mattress after draining their bank account, about to take the biggest risk of their life. You’ll need to tune in to hear about it!
I first was introduced to Jesse and his epic story through the I Love Marketing Podcast, and I can honestly say that from the moment he started talking I was hooked. He’s a marketing genius!
Jesse’s approach to building a BRAND rather than a business and creating FANS not customers is the type of marketing that I stand behind 110%. He’s not preaching expensive facebook ads or fancy funnels, just an epic product and a memorable experience.
Jesse is about to share SO much wisdom with you all and I can promise you that whether you’re running a baseball team like Jesse or just starting a little home based business - his marketing tips are going to ROCK YOUR WORLD.
If you want to grab a copy of Jesse’s Book, it’s called Find Your Yellow Tux: How to Be Successful by Standing Out.
Jesse ALSO hosts his own podcast, called Business Done Differently.
If you’re ready to Stand Out by thinking different, creating attention and creating fans for life - then this is the episode for you.
Blake Fly | How to Grow a Massive Business with Road Signs, Dog Food & Bike Seats
Today, I’m sitting down with Blake Fleischacker (aka Blake Fly) who is a master of many things, but most notable for his unique ability to connect with anyone.
He might be one of the most inspiring, creative and appreciative individuals I have ever met.
To begin, I want to share how Blake’s work has impacted my life and my business.
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Because of Blake, I send my friends and family members text messages when I think of them
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Because of Blake, I am empowered to send messages of gratitude and snail mail just to say “thinking of you”
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Because of Blake, I have signed new clients
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Because of Blake, I believe in the power of Scrap Paper, Road Signs & Cereal Boxes.
I know, you’re totally lost and have no clue what I mean - but by tuning into this episode and learning from Blake on the power of Unexpected Appreciation, Gratitude & Creative Connection - you’re going to have a whole new appreciation for how SIMPLE marketing and business growth can be.
Julia Rose | How to PUBLISH your work & put yourself out there
Julia Rose helps soon-to-be-writers (like you) go from terrified to confident by PUBLISHING your writing. I sat down with her to hear about: the impact that publishing her work on Medium.com had, simple method for choosing what to write about, how to get over the fear of putting yourself out there, navigating through imposter syndrome, and more!
Stephanie Long | How to Take a 1-Month Sabbatical from your Business
Returning for her 2nd… or actually, maybe 3rd appearance on the show - let me re-introduce you to Fan Favourite, Stephanie Long.
Steph is a business coach for nutritionists, the founder of the launch your nutrition biz program, the host of the next level nutrition biz podcast - and recently, the girl who took 1 month off from her business!
Yepp, you heard that right, Steph took august completely off from work because she wanted to focus on herself and on recharging. After reconnecting with the WHY behind starting her business, which was to have more freedom and flexibility, Steph decided to step back for the month of august and the best part was that the business didn’t become irrelevant.
Giovanni Angelucci, Founder of Queen St. Bakery | How to start a Bread Company
Today, I’m sitting down with Giovanni Angelucci, Founder of Queen Street Bakery!
Their breads, buns, pizza dough and baking flours can be found across Canada and they are leading the gluten-free, allergen-free and taste-FULL bread category.
Just one taste of their White Bean & Millet Seed bread or their Cinnamon Raisin Loaf will be enough to convert you. These products are insanely delicious and more than that, they’re packed with nutrients.
In this conversation, we’re rewinding back to just a few years ago when Giovanni first had the idea to start a bakery and how that led them to finding placement in 100’s and 100’s of stores across Canada.
Krista Kolodziejzyk | How to Launch a Successful Membership Community
Krista is one of the most determined, action-taking individuals you’ll ever meet! Tune in to hear about her Entrepreneurial Journey. In this episode, Krista and I chat about…
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What she did when she first graduated from school
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How she was able to go freelance and match her corporate salary
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The simple marketing and lead gen strategy that she used to begin her 1:1 coaching practice
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How the idea to launch the DSC came to be
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And success tips for anyone launching an online business or membership
Solo Episode | How to be Annoyingly Consistent in Life & Business
In this show I'm chatting about the power of being consistent in order to grow your business.
This is something that I often share with my clients (the power of showing up, time and time again, even when you don’t want to!) and sometimes people refer to it as The Compound Effect.
Today I share some personal stories of how I practice consistency to grow my business.
Fatima Kamenge | How to Build a Socially Responsible Business
Today I’m sitting down with Fatima Kamenge, who is the founder of Social Ausum Consulting.
Fatima believes that our values shape all that we do, and through her work she helps businesses to consider People, Planet, and Profit in reaching for their next level of growth.
In addition to her Social Enterprise consulting, Fatima is also a passionate advocate for self-care in business as well as Socially Responsible Investing, which she offers as a service.
I was completely captivated by Fatima’s calm and confident approach to building and growing her business in a way that challenges the status quo and honours her unique perspective and experience. I wanted to talk to her for 5 more hours, because I am only just starting to understand what it means to be a social enterprise, how to invest your money in a socially responsible way and how to practice self-care as a business owner - but wow she shared some really incredible wisdom that we can all use as a launching pad to learn more.
Andrea Sampson | How To Become a World-Class Speaker!
Today I’m sitting down with Andrea Sampson, who is the founder of Talk Boutique. They help individuals, teams and organizations communicate with clarity and authority through speaker training.
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Talk Boutique was created out of Andreas desire to bring together decade-long careers in advertising, comedy, acting and strategy, along with their experience as TED trained speaker coaches, to create an offering to help others build stories, communicate messages and perform with compelling engagement to create deep and lasting societal change.
Fatima Zaidi | Drop the hustle & build a business in balance
Today I’m sitting down with Fatima Zaidi who is the CEO and co-founder of Quill Inc. the world’s first one-stop marketplace and agency where podcasters and brands can find pre-vetted experts who will save them time, improve their podcast quality, and help grow their audience.
In addition to recently launching Quill, Fatima is also the owner of the Listen In Conference held in LA that supports brands moving into podcasting, she’s a public speaker who has shared stages with speakers like Gary Vaynerchuk, contributor to publications including The Globe and Mail, and Huffington Post, has won two Top 30 under 30 awards… and I could go on.
Basically, she’s an incredibly passionate and visionary individual with a fire inside of her to make a big impact through the work that she does.
Finally, Someone Who Understands Your Struggle!
We thought it would be fun to have a casual chat about how scary it can be to start a business, what those early years look (& feel like), and the mindset needed to keep going.
We also dive into...
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Why it's important to know your "why" when you start a business
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What to do if you feel stuck or uninspired right now
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Her story of meeting a business partner and quickly entering into an incorporation
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What to do if you're "all talk, no action"
Where are they now? Let's catch up with 5 entrepreneurs from last season!
Today’s episode is something new and something fun that we’ve never done before. We’re checking in with past podcast guests to see how the past 12 months have been for them.
Obviously with a global pandemic, things have been anything but normal. But, that’s what we expect as entrepreneurs, right?
You’ll hear me chat with…
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Jed & Kurt, Founders of The Griffin Pub
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Krystal Darling, Founder of Belle's Boutique
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Tanya List, Artist and Creative
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Steph Dunn, Founder of Beat The Wheat
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Claire Jordan, Founder of Kala House of Colour
Morgan Rammo | How to Turn your Passion for Fitness into a Thriving Fitness Studio
Today, I’m sitting down with Morgan Rammo who is the founder, owner and resident DJ of Vita Fitness which is Muskoka's Premier Fitness Studio located in Downtown Bracebridge.
At Vita Fitness you can find fitness classes, personal training, supplements and all around good vibes. Morgan is a young, vibrant and motivated entrepreneur that followed her love of fitness and now runs one of the hottest studios in Muskoka.
In this episode, we chat about…
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How she ended up moving to Bracebridge
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The decision to open a fitness studio and how she did it with minimal risk
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How she found her first few clients, and what’s working now to continue marketing and promoting to new people
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What a typical work week looks like for her today
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& so much more
Emma Grimstead | How She Took Over the Family Business!
Today, I’m sitting down with a multi-passionate entrepreneur named Emma Grimstead.
Emma is the founder and small Business owner behind @maggieandkaye (Canadian online home boutique), as well as a Podcast Co-host @theexpressionsessions and all around passionate individual located in Muskoka, Ontario.
In this episode, we discuss…
Emma’s decision to take over the family business that was started by her grandmother, then taken over by her mother, and that she is now running
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What some of the first steps were in bringing the business to life
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What Emma believes is the key to keeping her customers happy
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Some of her must-have business and software tools that help successfully run an online business
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And what it’s like to ALSO be building a personal brand in addition to her online home goods shop
Daniel Collins | How to Turn your Passion for Beer into a Business
Today, I’m sitting down with the President & Founder of Brew Culture, Daniel Collins.
Daniel founded Brew Culture back in 2014 because of a passion for craft beer and a love of hops.
Today, Brew Culture works with beer ingredient suppliers from all over the world and their business has been growing steadily as the craft beer trend continues to dominate.
In this episode, we chat about…
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Daniels original career path-- and why he ended up pivoting and launching Brew Culture
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How Brew Culture found their first few customers and what they attribute their early success to
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The 1 piece of advice he would give to all start up entrepreneurs
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Tips for growing your business in a small town
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& SO MUCH MORE