"Your Word Is Your Brand" with Jenny Bhatt

Photo Credit: Praveen Ahuja

Jenny Bhatt is a writer, literary translator, book critic, founder of Desi Books, and creative writing instructor at Writing Workshops Dallas. Her award-winning debut story collection, Each of Us Killers: Stories, and her literary translation, Ratno Dholi: Dhumketu’s Best Short Stories, were both published in 2020. Her writing has appeared in various venues including NPR, The Washington Post, BBC Culture, The Atlantic, Publishers Weekly, Dallas Morning News, Literary Hub, Poets & Writers, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Star Tribune, and more. Having lived and worked her way around India, England, Germany, Scotland, and various parts of the US, she now lives in a suburb of Dallas, Texas.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I worked in the corporate world for decades as an engineer, a marketeer, and even a financial advisor. In 2012, my fortieth year, I gave up a stable and well-paying executive position in Silicon Valley to focus on my writing full-time. I studied the art and the craft through writing workshops and just sent my writing out there to various publications.

Since then, I’ve had 100+ articles and essays and two well-received books published. I also teach writing workshops at Writing Workshops Dallas, which is not only intellectually stimulating and rewarding but also helps me continue honing my own writing craft. Having grown up speaking, writing in, and studying three Indian languages and then German while at university, I’m also a literary translator and have my second translation out in 2022 with two more in the works for 2023. As writers today, we need this kind of “portfolio career.” Only the top 1% of writers make enough from their books to write them full-time. The rest of us need other sources of income. That said, I also believe that this multidisciplinary approach makes me a better writer overall.

What inspired you to start your business?

The road to publication, for a middle-aged immigrant woman of color like me, was a winding, difficult one. Especially so because I didn’t have the traditional literary pedigree or networks. I realized I needed to do something with my skills and expertise to help other writers of South Asian origin like me. Too often, we’re reduced to the one or two kinds of stories that publishing gatekeepers think sell the best or represent our entire communities. Mostly, though, these stories conform to and confirm certain tired stereotypes and tropes and negate the immense diversity and range of works that we’re capable of. I wanted to counter all of that. So I sat down and made a Venn diagram of my personal skills, experiences, and interests from both my tech business career and my writing career. It helped me understand what I had to offer to the world and to my community of writers and readers.

That’s how and why I founded Desi Books: a global multimedia forum that showcases South Asian literature and connects readers and writers through conversation and community. Our goal is two-fold: 1/ to help desi writers find their readers because traditional, mainstream media chases a few at the expense of many; 2/ to celebrate the plenitude and diversity of South Asian literature through conversation and community.

Where is your business based?

Desi Books is entirely online. However, I run it out of Dallas, Texas, where I live. Eventually, when it is feasible, I would like to host in-person literary events. But, for the most part, as the Desi Books audience is global and virtual, the online approach has been working great and we’ve been able to scale up and sustain our offerings virtually.

My husband manages all the behind-the-scenes administration work and I handle the content production and distribution with help from paid freelancers and contractors.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Desi Books began in April 2020 as a modest, pandemic-driven podcast, where I interviewed writers of South Asian origin about their latest books. Soon, we saw that different kinds of books require different approaches to spotlight them. So we added text interviews, virtual readings, and more. We now have ten different channels, including a weekly newsletter that goes out to hundreds of subscribers, to showcase South Asian books and writers from all over the world.

We also ensured social media presence on all three platforms although we focused on Twitter the most because that’s where we’ve been able to connect most with other writers so far.

After about a year of doing the above, we’d built a small audience and could sustain the value we provided to them. Then, we registered Desi Books as an LLC. We created plans to make the venture self-funding and then revenue-generating. Our goal right now is not to make this a cash cow but to ensure we can grow it and pay freelancers and editors well enough. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

For sure, this has been social media, given the current virtual pandemic-driven reality.

We’ve also had some success collaborating with other like-minded folks and organizations in the literary ecosystem. We hope to do more of this because it also helps us build our networks and our community.

What we’ve found is that it’s not about the number of followers on any particular social media platform but about meaningful engagement with them. Social media is great for creating awareness. But, for meaningful engagement, it’s critical to create value first. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

We’re still a bootstrapped venture so we’ve taken things slowly. Both of us have other jobs too. Our biggest challenge has been dedicating time and money to Desi Books. Now that we’ve got a clear path planned for the next couple of years, we will be stepping things up.

Another early challenge was a rookie one: saying yes to everything and everyone. Then, we’d find ourselves over-committed or not feeling as enthusiastic about a particular feature as we would have liked.

The third biggest challenge has been getting established writers of South Asian origin to openly support us. We’re hoping that the tide will turn soon enough because we believe that a rising tide will lift all boats, including theirs.

That said, there are certain business tenets from my former business life in Silicon Valley that have stayed with me and inform most of what we do:

— Build credibility and community first and opportunities for monetization will come eventually.

— The most important assets are audience trust and loyalty.

— Organic growth of a niche audience is more important than rapid growth of a mass audience.

— Playing the long game means having not just a single backup or pivot plan but several.

— Always design and execute for sustainability and scalability.

How do you stay focused? 

Having a detailed, specific 12-month plan helps us stay focused. It’s easy to get excited about new ideas and possibilities. But we always gauge every new thing against our existing plan to see if we can or should take it on. We’re not being rigid or inflexible because the world itself is in such a fluid state. And, sometimes, opportunities or challenges we hadn’t foreseen do show up. So we’re all for course correction as needed. But, for the most part, we check against our existing business plan to stay on track.

On a day-to-day basis, staying focused is about sticking to our publication schedule and not getting side-tracked by the latest literary drama or hype. At least once a month, we’ll have a check against our key business metrics to see if we’re making headway. And this is a fuzzy one but so important, especially in the early days of a startup: we celebrate every little win and every milestone achieved to keep ourselves motivated.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

I don’t think we have competition, really. Anyone else who is doing what we’re doing—uplifting South Asian literature—is an ally, not a competitor. And we all bring our own personal sensibilities and preferences to who or what we choose to uplift as well. I would be thrilled to see more ventures like Desi Books out there, truly. It gives the writers and their publicists more choices of venues to spotlight their books. As it is right now, books coverage in the media—whether it’s mainstream or niche-focused like ours—continues to shrink at an alarming rate.

Our bigger competition is not media ventures like ours that cover South Asian literature but other media forms like movies, TV, social media, etc. This is why we’ve created a multimedia forum to appeal to folks who like to read, listen, or watch their favorite books being spotlighted and showcased.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Every small business will say it’s “word of mouth.” Certainly, that’s been true for us as well. However, beyond “word of mouth”, it’s also “word of honor.” When you’re a small venture like ours, your word is your brand and vice versa. This isn’t just about all the talk you’re trying to generate or contribute to via social and news media. This means always doing your homework before opening your mouth or sending that email or post or tweet, always being professional and prompt with responses, working with consistent principles and integrity, and admitting and learning from mistakes.

Right now, my name is often used synonymously with Desi Books. We’re fully aware of the responsibility this kind of brand recognition entails and we don’t take it lightly. Honor, principles, integrity, and professionalism—these aren’t simply buzzwords or biz-speak for us. They inform everything we say, write, put out there into the world. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

I’ll give you a two-fer, if that’s okay.

The number one thing I’d say to anyone looking to start a new business is to take some time to fully understand their own intentions. Then, let that inform every step, every word, every plan. For me, the question that kicked me into action was: how do I want to measure my life eventually? With my writing accomplishments, yes. But I also want to do work that has a larger impact within the literary community that I’m a part of.

The second thing comes from a book I read a decade ago called The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman (the founder of Linkedin) and Ben Casnocha. It’s a slim book you could read in an afternoon. I took almost twenty-five pages of notes from it. There's a lot of tech-biz speak throughout so it won't appeal to those who dislike such language. My biggest takeaway—or the immensely liberating permission I got from it—came from its "Plan ABZ" approach. First, the book describes, with loads of examples, how to create an actionable, detailed plan for your life's main goal as if you're a startup yourself. This is your Plan A: the quickest path to your goal, given your specific circumstances. After that, you should also create a detailed, actionable Plan B: a viable and feasible pivot from Plan A (if or when that looks difficult/impossible to achieve) that still gets you to the same goal but along a different, possibly longer, route. Every time you update/change Plan A, you should update/change Plan B too. Where this book differs from most other such books is that it also recommends a Plan Z. That's your "all hands to deck; lifeboats out; everything and the kitchen sink; no turning back" plan to get to your goal. And here's the important thing. Plan Z should also be as thoroughly planned as Plans A and B. Meaning, you must have a clear, tangible set of steps for achieving Plan Z, should you need to abandon both Plans A & B and deploy Z.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is JioSaavn because I get to listen to all my favorite Bollywood music. It gets a lot of play in our house. Mostly, it’s the older songs and rhythms that we grew up with in India.

My favorite blog isn’t really a blog but it helps me organize all my online reading so it’s like an uber-blog: Feedly. I save the feeds of my favorite media venues and check in several times a week to read through them. 

Picking a single favorite book is impossible for a lifelong reader like me. How about a favorite writer instead? He was also my mother’s favorite writer: Dhumketu, who’s known as the pioneer of the short story form in the Gujarati language. The Gujarati Chekhov, if you will. I’ve translated a selection of his stories and hope to do a novel or two down the road. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business resource or tool of all-time is Evernote. It’s my single repository for all my plans and notes, random or otherwise. I’ve always used it for my writing projects, to-do lists, and more. I’ve created my own systems of organization over time because the tool isn’t designed to do what I do with it. But that, in itself, gives me a sense of satisfaction too.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I can’t think of a specific person in the business world whom I look up to as a role model. In the literary world, my role model is Toni Morrison because she did so much to uplift her community of Black women writers at a time when they were not getting the attention they deserved. In the late 1960s, she became the first Black woman editor at a senior level at Random House in their fiction department. And, alongside her own amazing books, she brought many others into the world. I teach fiction-writing using Morrison’s books but they are the sum total of a life lived in a certain manner as well and that’s much harder to teach anyone.

I don’t think I want to re-enter the corporate world because big publishers now are all corporations. But Morrison’s convictions, actions, and impact are all testimony to the fact that one person can make enough of a difference in a single lifetime. 

How do you balance work and life? 

I used to believe there’s no such thing as “work-life balance” and that the ideal existence is one where your work and your personal life are all one happily-merged reality. The older I get, though, the more I value a certain amount of time away from my desk. Things need breathing room, time to percolate and take root and germinate. This, I’ve found, is true of anything we undertake seriously enough that we dedicate hours of a given day to it. We have to switch gears and engage our cognitive energies elsewhere from time to time. The old adage of “a change is as good as a rest” isn’t just a grandmotherly saying.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Exercise. Cook. Walk. Watch a movie. Anything that doesn’t require me to have to use the same brain muscles I’m using when I’m writing or working on the business.

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

I have a book due out in May 2022 and another manuscript due by the end of 2022. So I’ll be working on those. I’m also teaching a few writing workshops throughout 2022. And we have my ongoing roster of books to showcase at Desi Books. So, basically, more of what we did in 2021 but scaled up a bit.

How can our readers connect with you?

Website: https://desibooks.co

Contact: https://desibooks.co/contact/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/desibooks

Instagram: https://instagram.com/desi.books

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desibooksfb

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHcF-Vr1HDg7yHnucMmD6tA

"Don’t try to be someone you’re not" with Michaela Letendre

Michaela Letendre is the founder of ML Brand Studio based in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. After working in the corporate marketing industry for several years, she started her business in 2017 and has served over 500 women-led businesses since then. ML Brand Studio is a full-service boutique marketing agency that creates beautiful brands and transforms small businesses. As a mother, wife, and marketer, Michaela strives to build a brand that encompasses her values and empowers female business owners.

 How did you get started with creating brands?

I started designing logos for small boutiques back in 2017. At the time, I was working from home with two kids and while I enjoyed my corporate job at the time, I needed something more creative. I’ve always had more of a creative brain, and I’ve always been entrepreneurial-minded. Designing brands just seemed like a great way to combine the two, and I jumped in with both feet. I don’t regret a single thing.

Where is your business based?

I started my business when I lived in Florida, but relocated it to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire when I moved back. Wolfeboro is my hometown and it’s this quaint little town right on Lake Winnipesaukee. In fact, it’s so quaint we don’t even have a stop light! It’s rich with small businesses and it will always be my favorite place in the world.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I started out in the marketing industry basically straight out of high school. I applied to a job that was a mix of admin and marketing, and the owner took a complete chance on me and I will be forever grateful for that, because that job made me who I am now. I learned so much from that job. I was there for almost five years and grew so much in my roles. I moved to Florida during my time there and worked remotely for some time. Then I branched out on my own a bit before returning to the corporate world, joining the marketing team of a large restaurant chain. Then after COVID, I did a mix of working for myself as well as working as the Director of Marketing Operations for a local business. My roles within the marketing industry have taught me a ton and I’m so thankful for the path that got me here.

As a female business owner, what do you think you do well to help other women-led businesses?

I work primarily with women-led businesses. In fact, out of the over 500 businesses I’ve worked with since starting my company, only a handful have been male led. After the pandemic started, I saw so many of my good friends have to close down their businesses. At that point I had lost my corporate job because of COVID layoffs since I was in the restaurant industry, and I just kept thinking to myself how can I help these people? What can I do to help them continue to run their businesses in a way they never have before? And the MLMS brand fund was started. The fund allows business owners to get a completely new branding package for free if they’ve been financially impacted by COVID. We’re now in the process of expanding the fund to include other natural disasters like the recent tornadoes.

 Did you ever have any stumbles or times when you didn’t think you were going to make it?

Oh, of course. When I launched in 2017, I was doing extremely well. I had started a Facebook group that blew up and I finally felt like this is my moment, I’ve finally done it. I was getting recognized by big brands in the boutique world, because the group was centered around being a community for boutique owners. It was like my little safe space in my corner of the internet. And then I actually had someone approach me about wanting to be partners and help run the group. It was over 2,000 members, I was getting hundreds of posts submitted each day, I really needed help monitoring the group, and I wasn’t in a position to decline a good offer at the time so I accepted. Against my better judgement, I did not have the contract looked over by a lawyer and I signed it with handwritten edits. It was a mess. But I was 20 or 21 at this point and extremely naïve. The partner ended up keeping all of the profits from launching various projects I spent hours on, and after not getting paid and having no recourse due to the contract, I ended up walking away from the group and she kept it. At that moment in my life I really thought I had lost everything I worked for and I struggled for a really long time.

How did you pick yourself back up after that?

t took me months to really pick myself back up. I wrote my second book, Edge of Empowerment, about what that experience taught me. I was so disappointed in myself and even embarrassed of how I lost everything in the blink of an eye over something as stupid as a contract. I ended up going back to a full-time corporate job and just designed a few brands here and there for a while. I got a great job offer from a pretty big company after that and I focused on that for a while, until COVID happened, and I lost my corporate job. That’s when I really decided to hunker down and work on my brand and get back out there.

What do you think was really your turning point for your business?

I think the creation of my planner was the big turning point. I launched the Boutique Planner for the first time in 2017 and completely sold out of them. I brought them back every year after that, even after another company copied the concept. They’ve done extremely well for me and they make me really happy to design. I love picking the prints for the covers and seeing the joy people get when receiving them in the mail. I know the planners help so many boutique owners and that makes all the hard work worth it.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

For me, being an engaged community member that just genuinely wants to help others succeed has been the most successful. Just like every other business I run ads, send emails, post on social media, etc. But I truly think the number one thing that has helped me grow is just being available to people. I join groups where my target audience hangs out, but I don’t poach them or try to sell to them. I just help them. People are drawn to kindness.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t be naïve. Get some really good, fool proof contracts. Do what makes you happy. And most importantly, don’t try to be someone you’re not. I tried to be this perfect version of myself, and I fell flat on my face. It took me a long time to be comfortable with where I am and who I am, and I wish I had accepted it long before. People want to connect with someone they can relate to. People want vulnerability.

How do you balance work and life?

This was something that I struggled with for a really long time. I was so concerned with being available 24/7 and answering messages and emails as soon as possible that my work/life balance didn’t exist. I decided to set firm business hours and stick to them. I still get the impulse to immediately write back if I see an email come through late at night, but I’m working really hard to create that separation for not just me but for my family. My kids deserve a mom that is present in the moment with them.

What’s your favorite book and why?

My favorite “fun” book is Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. The amount of emotions that book makes me feel should be illegal and the writing is just phenomenal. My favorite work-related book is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I’m a very pattern-reliant person, so it’s hard for me to change things up. I struggle to break bad habits and it’s even harder for me to form good habits. This book really changed my life in that aspect and absolutely helped me become a better (and less lazier) person.

What’s next for ML Brand Studio?

We have some really exciting new projects coming up. We’re launching more new products for boutique owners that are similar to our planners and we’re also working on a quarterly magazine geared toward retail businesses. I’m hoping maybe by the end of the year to have an office that is not in my basement, but we’ll see. I’m really looking forward to see what 2022 has in store for the business.

Where can our readers find you?

My website is www.mlbrandstudio.com and my Instagram handle is @mlbrandstudio. I also have a Facebook page, ML Brand Studio.

Amplifying the Voices of Storytellers with Lauren Eckhardt

Photo Credit: Jack Rodriguez

Lauren Eckhardt is the CEO and Founder of Burning Soul Press. An award-winning, and best-selling author and ghostwriter, she is passionate about helping impact-driven writers capture their life stories in a book. Lauren founded Burning Soul Press in 2020, after 12 years in the human resources field, to work with aspiring and career authors in pursuit of sharing a powerful and deeply impactful story or message. When she's not helping writers launch their author careers, she's reading, writing, and trying her hand at various creative outlets.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

A book nerd through and through, I knew since I was six years old that I wanted to be an author someday. Constantly reading and writing, whether stories, poems, or songs, was my outlet. As I got older, I struggled to share that side of me freely, buying into the starving artist belief, and eventually tucked it away to pursue more of the expected life path. I’ve always loved learning new things so took on different jobs and industries to expand my knowledge and skills. I spent 12 years in the human resources field, chasing degrees, certifications, and promotions, always successful, but never fulfilled. I kept going for what I was supposed to have to elevate myself versus the things that actually felt purposeful. After years of feeling restless and not quite myself in the corporate world, I eventually left once my first child was born. I could no longer pretend I cared about stuff that didn’t matter to me. I had to step back into who I truly was to be the best I could be for my kids. 

What inspired you to start your business? 

My boys were born exactly two and a half years apart and a lot changed within that period, most notably was my lens on my life and the world. I knew I wanted them to have big dreams and not let anything get in their way of reaching them. But you can tell someone something with little success or set the example through actions. Wanting that for them was the final push for me to go after everything I dreamed about for my own life. I wrote and published my first book which had been a work in progress for a decade and immediately followed it up with four others within a short time. Once I became an author, other people asked for my help to write and publish their books. Every time I helped someone, my soul was lit on fire, and a new dream emerged: helping people share their stories and overcome the challenge of writing about their own personal journey and struggles.

Ever since I was a young girl, random strangers would open up to me, telling me about their life. That never changed. I’ve always been a safe space for people to be themselves. It wasn’t until I started Burning Soul Press that I realized there was a reason behind it. My entire life had been preparing me for this. I started Burning Soul Press in April 2020 as a one-woman show and within months, it quickly grew to a six-figure company with an amazing team that supports all of our global clients in helping them reach their author goals. Now we’re on track to becoming a seven-figure company in 2021. It's been an amazing experience exploring new dreams and goals that have come into my path and I now lead a life I couldn't have imagined a year ago.

Where is your business based?

Burning Soul Press is 100% virtual due to the pandemic, but we may eventually put down roots and open up a writing retreat center. For now, our employees work throughout the United States and our clients are global. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I first tested the waters to make sure people were willing to pay for what I could help them with, and once my first few paying clients were secured, I made it all official with the LLC paperwork, a website, and social media accounts. We’ve been fortunate to grow with just word of mouth over the past year, so it was just telling people what we’re doing and utilizing the power of connections to reach the right clients.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

Connecting with people. Networking is huge and if it can happen during a pandemic successfully, it’s proven that it’s a timeless technique. I always take the time to meet with people because you never know who they know or what ideas they generate from hearing about our mission. The ease of sharing posts and information through social media has also been a huge advantage for raising awareness. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

The biggest challenges have arisen every time we start to drift away from our original values. It’s easy to get caught up in the snowball of growth or start to move away from the core of your business when you see the potential for new opportunities. There have been a lot of new ideas we’ve come up with and have been quick to implement because of the excitement, only to realize (after we’ve already invested a lot of time and money) that they don’t align with our core values. Every time it’s happened, I’m just very honest with my team about it and we simply reset what we need, even if it means swallowing our pride, making tough decisions, or losing money and time. Every risk we take and choice we make is an opportunity for learning, so it’s just keeping that in the forefront of our minds and as we keep moving forward. 

How do you stay focused?

Focusing on moving the needle ahead one step at a time instead of consuming the entire pie all at once. This is something that I admittedly struggle with because I like to devour what I can. But when I focus on the chunks in the order that they come instead of only moving on the ones that excite me and that’s it, it helps me complete projects faster and not feel like I have a million irons in the fire

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

We operate from a more intrinsic motivation standpoint—for both us as a company and for our authors. There are many other companies offering what we’re offering just like there are many other authors writing books. However, we focus on the long-term fulfillment and satisfaction of a lifelong goal. It’s not about writing a book fast or getting someone’s name on the cover of a book or simply owning the title of being an author—it’s about truly writing a book with a message and story that they are proud to have last long after their time on earth is finished. We help people fulfill their purpose and we care about their journey to reach that just about as much as they do. We support the author not because that’s what we’re getting paid to do, but because we’re fans of the incredible journey they’re dedicating themselves to.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Celebrating our authors. We focus more on what our authors are doing than what we’re doing and that naturally draws in people who are like them or doing similar cool things as they are. They’re not just writing a book, they’re making a huge impact in this world and we love showcasing that. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

Own yourself. Own your dreams. Own your quirks. Own your strengths. I wish I didn’t try so hard to fit in the boxes I thought I should fill through most of life, whether boxes determined by schooling, socially or by the corporate world. Many times I felt awkward, but I wished I realized it wasn’t because I was awkward, but because those boxes are awkward. Many systems early in life try to contain you to a heightened sense of average instead of allowing you to embrace your strengths and talents and soar in the unique areas you were meant to rise in. A part of me always knew that, but it takes independence in who you are regardless of the circumstances around you to fully embrace it.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Slack because it allows my team to communicate effectively while keeping our conversations fairly organized and easily searchable. My favorite business-related book is Chillpreneur by Denise Duffield-Thomas. It’s a reminder to not let work drive your life but to focus on life and the work you can do to help other people. When I start feeling like I’m drowning in work, I go back to that book to reset my focus.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Clickup is my favorite tool because it helps me and my entire team stay on track. I use it to keep track of my personal to-do list as well, but my favorite part is the professional custom templates that my team can share as clients are working through the pipeline from writing to publishing. It helps us stay organized and set clear dates for when things are due.  

Who is your business role model? Why? 

I love the teachings of James Wedmore. His growth as an entrepreneur is inspiring and he operates from the whole mind, heart, and soul behind running a business and not just business or financial modeling. He’s very honest about his mistakes and humble about his successes, always taking time to help people regardless of whether they invest in him.

How do you balance work and life? 

Truthfully, I don’t really balance anything. When I try, I fail. I blend it all. Who I am as a mom, wife, and friend is the same person that I am as an entrepreneur and CEO. My kids are right next to me as I do things with my company. I’ll cook dinner while I’m talking with clients. It’s simply remembering that we have 24 hours in a day every single day and every hour may be dedicated to a different realm to life. It doesn’t mean 8-5 has to be dedicated to working. Flexing based on priorities as things change every day and being okay with that is the key for me. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

Browsing a used book sale or bookstores. There’s no such thing as too many books and being surrounded by them is incredibly peaceful. 

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

We have some incredible books being released over the next six months so will be working closely with our authors to help them launch and celebrate! We are also making big changes to our core program, The Soul Writer Journey, and I’m writing a book based on the framework for it. We’ve also added a Children’s publishing division, partnering with some hugely talented illustrators, and will be offering upcoming workshops to help people write their stories. 

How can our readers connect with you?

You can send us a message at hello@burningsoulpress.com or visit any of our sites: 

Website: www.burningsoulpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burningsoulpress 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/68302732/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLAn5XIVMkqPKnjR8mc4RVQ/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burningsoulpress/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BSPSoulWriter 

“Be Relentlessly Obsessed About Your Customers” with Daisy Jiang

Daisy Jiang is the logistics entrepreneur behind the company Bookairfreight, which provides international shipping services to small and medium-sized businesses. Her obsession with building simple experiences backed by world-class customer service has led to triple-digit year-over-year growth and over 90% customer retention. Daisy shares the story that took her from professional services in Shanghai to running a globally distributed team.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Entrepreneurship has always been a big part of my family - my stepmother owned and operated multiple stationary stores in Beijing(?). After graduating from high school I studied at the Shanghai Institute of Technology, then began working as a consultant at FTI Consulting in Shanghai before moving on to a similar role at the law firm King & Wood Malleson. But my real passion was in startups, so I left the amazing perks of that role behind and started working at a logistics startup in Hong Kong. Soon after that, I left and started Bookairfreight!

What inspired you to start your business?

I’ve always been excited about the world of startups - bringing in a small, highly motivated group of people to solve a novel problem is what gets me out of bed every day. While working at the logistics startup in Hong Kong, I noticed that dealing with international bulk shipments (for example moving goods from a factory in China to a warehouse in the USA) was incredibly behind the times. It was phone calls, emails, faxes(!) back and forth over several days before you could get a pricing quote, which I found to be totally ridiculous. As I researched more into the industry, I realized there was a big opportunity to modernize freight forwarding, and that’s where the idea for Bookairfreight came about.

Where is your business based?

We are incorporated in Hong Kong, but it’s a truly global team. Right now I spend significant time in China to be closer to our suppliers, but my co-founder is based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, and engineering, product, and design happen out of Latin America and Africa, with marketing out of India.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

International transportation and freight forwarding is a very traditional industry, so coming in as a young woman without outside experience was incredibly challenging. I started out by working (for free!) at the largest freight forwarding company in Hong Kong to get a much better idea of how the industry worked and what the issues were. This is where I saw that digitization was almost nonexistent, meaning all the work was done manually. Once I learned enough and felt comfortable venturing out on my own, I got in touch with freight forwarders who were excited about working with a tech startup to grow their business, found a technical co-founder, and worked to build out our product and grow our customer base!

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

So much of successful marketing starts with understanding your customer base deeply, and going from there. Besides the general tools like SEO, Google Ads, and social media, we also made sure that our website and platform were really easy to use and share. This way, when a user found a shipping quote they liked, it was very 

easy for them to send it to their own contacts

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

In a way, the biggest challenges turned out to be the biggest opportunities. Finding a co-founder in a completely different time zone meant we had to build a strong culture of documenting and communicating effectively because anything that wasn’t clear meant a 12-hour delay to get an answer! But this helped us build the foundation for a fully remote company. 

Not having previous experience in freight forwarding was also incredibly difficult, but it also meant we could really sympathize with our customers, who themselves were not familiar with the industry. This made it easy to build a product that really brought value to this customer segment.

How do you stay focused?

I’m very good at multitasking, which is important when issues are cropping up all the time. At the end of the day, I make sure to plan ahead what is important to accomplish, and then I’m head down getting it done. No fancy tricks for me!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

This comes down to really understanding who our customers are and what they need. We work with small e-commerce businesses that don’t necessarily have their own logistics department. This customer segment needs a very simple way to find and book shipping quotes, and strong customer service to make sure they understand everything that’s going on. Our tools and products make it super easy and clear for this type of customer to find the right rates for their business, book them, and manage them, and we take care of everything else. In this way, we operate as our customers’ shipping partners or even their internal logistics department.

Our competitors have more of an enterprise (i.e. bigger company) focus, and while they might have functionality that we don’t, for micro and small businesses we make the process so easy and straightforward that they come back time and time again. Additionally, most competitors are ocean freight focused and we are more specialized in air freight solutions.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we have excellent suppliers we work with and are always looking to improve on our pricing and value-add services, such as faster delivery times, insurance coverage, and rates that have tax and duties already baked into the pricing! 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Referrals and word of mouth! Small business entrepreneurship can have small, well-trusted circles. When you do a good job, people talk!

What is your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Everyone says the cliche “however hard you think it’ll be, it will be even harder”, so I won’t go with that. Practically speaking, be able to support yourself without a steady income for at least a year and a half, preferably 2 years. Additionally, think about your marketing strategy very early on - just building something won’t bring in people, so make sure it’s the right solution for your customers and that you can reach out to them effectively.

What are your favorite apps, blogs, and books? Why?

App - Youtube. I’m always watching videos about the economy, business, etc in the background as I’m working. Watching videos is so much more efficient for me than reading in many cases.

Blog: http://www.paulgraham.com/

Book: The hard thing about the hard things

What is your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

With our distributed team, Slack is by far our most important tool. Being able to jump into quick one on one huddles, easy screen share, easy search. It truly enables our business when people are working in different time zones.

Who is your business role model?

Ben Chestnut - founder of Mailchimp

How do you balance work and life?

This is not easy at an early-stage startup, full stop. At the end of the day, bringing in trusted people, empowering them, and letting them make decisions allows me some amount of downtime.

Favorite way to decompress?

To get a massage! 

What do you have planned for the next 6 months?

Bookairfreight is really hitting its stride - we know our customers very well, we’re confident in our services, and we are going to continue providing value to them. The next 6 months are all about making sure the people who need our services know where to find us, and continuously making their experience on our website better and easier.

 How can our readers connect with you?

Our website is www.bookairfreight.com. We also have a blog www.bookairfreight.com/blog where we post about the current state of the industry, as well as guides on how to import different products.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookairfreight

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bookairfreight

"Whenever you feel discouraged or defeated just remember your why" with Paige Roberts

Photo Credit: James Ritzman

Paige Roberts is a sports psychotherapist, athlete mental health advocate, and peak performance expert. She holds a degree in Exercise Science, a Master of Social Work, and has a Doctorate of Integrative Medicine. She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Certified Light Therapist, Certified Brain Health Practitioner, Certified Brainspotting Practitioner, and Consultant. Paige has a private practice (On Point Performance Neuro Training) where she specializes in helping athletes overcome life hardships, beat performance anxiety, recover fully from sports injuries or failures, and rebound from performance slumps or blocks so they can reach their full potential in sports and in life.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up in a small mountain town in Colorado with my parents and older brother. We grew up in the country skiing, climbing, and riding four-wheelers and snowmobiles. I never liked school as I was diagnosed as being dyslexic in elementary school which made school hard for me. I didn’t like going to school until sports were connected to the school by the time I was in middle school. I played all the typical school sports until high school when I started swimming, running, and playing golf.  I excelled at mid-distance running until I had a track and cross country coach overtrain me and set an unrealistic “running weight” criteria. This coaching leads to me developing severe stress fractures throughout my legs. I eventually had one breakthrough which was my first experience with sports injuries and having to go through the recovery process. I was able to come back to running during college but had to cross-train in order to keep from reactivating the stress fractures.

I graduated college early at three years with my exercise science degree. I went on to pursue my graduate degree in exercise science until I was involved in a car accident and other events leading to me realizing I had an addiction to alcohol and marijuana. I entered treatment at 22 and I have been sober since. Within my recovery process I found I was drinking to mask the pain of a losing a fellow as well as I was able to finally resolve the core issues associated with the eating disorder. Through my recovery experience I had worked with a clinical social worker in sports which then pushed me to change my graduate pursuits to gain a master’s in social work. After I graduated with my MSW I started my clinical sports psychotherapy private practice with a mission to end athlete suffering and to prevent athlete suicide.  

What inspired you to start your business?

It started with me wanting to keep young athletes from struggling like I had and the loss of a fellow athlete friend to suicide. As I went through graduate school I became more and more motivated as I lived in Colorado where suicide rates are high and so is involvement in exercise and sports. Wanted to be able to meet an evident need within the communities in Colorado.

Where is your business based?

My current business location is in Bellevue Washington or the greater Seattle area. I started my business initially in my hometown valley of Steamboat Springs Colorado. It was after almost three years a mentor of mine pushed me out of my comfort zone to relocate to a larger city where I could collaborate with like minded mission driven professionals like myself to best serve my athlete clients.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I registered with the state of Colorado to be able to start psychotherapy with clients. Then I filed the paperwork with the state of Colorado. Then I opened a business bank account. Then I secured an office space. I then sent business cards to be made at vista print. I then started going around the community and connecting with the other sports medicine providers to let the community know I was a resource for their athlete clients struggling mentally.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective way is going out into your community and talking about what you can offer their clients as well as how your services complement theirs. I always gained athlete clients from doing community talks and speaking at conferences. And for me personally, I really started getting busy after I started a pro bono case study with a past US ski team athlete. We did many intensive sessions until he got back on the US ski team. This allowed the ski community to gain trust in the services I offered.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Initially, when I started my practice eight years ago athlete mental health was not as big of a topic. I would reach out and either never hear back or get rejected. This was really hard. I am a sensitive person so I would take it personally. I had to do my own cognitive behavior therapy around this with saying to myself “if they don’t care about their athlete’s mental health that is on them”. To counter getting rejected form trying you just keep trying. Nothing worth having is easily obtained and I knew and know my service save lives.

How do you stay focused?

The positive results I see with my clients make all the rejection, hard work and strife one hundred percent worth it. And on a inner drive to push my business to the next level seeing other professionals in my industry succeed in greater ways than I. These examples show me it is possible to keep achieving more in this industry. Because the more I achieve the greater my platform grows so I can reach and impact more people to get the services to the clients who need them.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I am persistently seeking the more scientifically advanced neuroscience treatment modalities and techniques. I know I am the only clinical sports psychotherapist using the modalities I do. Some providers get comfortable in their treatment techniques. I feel if you are comfortable, you are not evolving.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Speaking within the community and word of mouth. Which essentially comes down to doing good work with my clients. Psychotherapists are not all equal or made the same. Even if you have had a bad experience with one that was just that individual’s approach and vibe.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Whenever you feel discouraged or defeated just remember your why. Never let go of why you are doing what you are doing.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

The Four Agreements book. If you follow the four agreements, you are working within a positive frame to be serving your community. As businesses we are leading our community by example. Let’s lead our community with positive and pure intentions to promote a more positive and pure community.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Square space. It is easy to send invoices and run cards. And at the end of the year your income is all in one place to efficiently do your taxes. As week as I am shifting to online booking through them starting 2022.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I would have to say Oprah. She turned her adverse childhood experiences into a career of helping others. And over the years she has just kept reaching new levels of success. I want to keep building up my platform to reach as many people as she has someday.

How do you balance work and life?

With great difficulty. I certainly work a lot. But I do schedule my day out to the minute each day, so I get in exercise, dog attention, cooking healthy food and interpersonal relationship time. As well as I will block out a day weekly and plan a hike or skiing, so I completely disconnect from work.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Soaking in a hot tub or treading in the beautiful lakes here in Washington. Water resets me and relaxes me instantly. Water time is a must for me.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Aside from my daily clients I am launching a few continuing education courses for other sports psychology professionals to become educated in the advanced treatments I use. Assisting my intern in holding two mental health awareness events. I just partnered with the Bright Live dot com which is an interactive event platform where I can interact with parents and athletes wanting to learn more about how they can strengthen their mental health. I am talking at six different sports and brain health conferences listed on my website if you are interested in any of the topics. I joined the female athlete serving Voice In Sports (VIS) platform to offer free sport psychology groups for member so their free to join platform.  And my greatest passion project is I’m working on a youth athlete suicide documentary to bring the awareness necessary for how we can resolve the instance of suicide within to our communities.

How can our readers connect with you?

Best way is through my website www.robertsneurotraining.com or my socials @sportspsychpaige

Building an Explosive Business Around Your Life’s Priorities with Andie Monet

Photo credit:  Dawn Nicoli

Andie Monet is a Business Optimization Expert.  She has advised Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, and foreign and domestic governments.  With over 3 decades of experience, she passionately helps businesses create explosive profits without adding costs or hours to the day. 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I think my background is very unusual.  My first degree was in engineering and physics because I love math, problem-solving, critical thinking, and learning about how things work.

What inspired you to start your business?

Originally, I really was not “inspired”.  I had to create a way to make money, make a living, and just really survive.  But looking back decades later, I realized that I had seen and read many business books in my family’s library.  The word “business” had always been a deep “magnet” calling my name.  I loved reaching.  And because I loved figuring things out, critical thinking, different ways to look at something, and how things worked, business was always “in my blood”.

How did you start your business?  What were the first steps you took?

I was 16 years old when I started my first business because I found myself homeless when my single mother abandoned me.  Long story short, I realized two things that day.  First, I was responsible for my own success in life.  And two, what action would I take today to get me closer to that “success”.  On that night, my first action was “where do I sleep tonight”.  But it was a mentality that has really excelled my success in life.

What has been the most effective ways of raising awareness for your business?

Even though I am an introvert, I’m really passionate about making a difference in the world because every little bit helps.  That being said, I love being the person that I never had when I started my business.  So, I’m very friendly, open and genuine about helping people get to their next growth level. At the end of the day, I just put myself “out there”.   

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

I have had many challenges over 35 years of business ownership.  Challenges are not strangers to any business owner.  However, my biggest challenges were when I started at 16 years old.  I knew nothing.  I had no mentor, no family, and no idea what to do.  Everything, literally, I “created” from nothing.  The first big hurdle with how do I get people to say “yes” to me!  Overcoming this, as well as any other challenge, came down to two questions:  Trial and error.  And a lot of determination.  Remember, at 16, I didn’t have any other methodology! 

How do you stay focused?

We only succeed as much as we can be focused! I have a “system” that has worked for decades.  The short explanation is really simple.  Brainstorm on all the things that I want to accomplish.  Categorize them in whatever way makes sense, for example “business development”, “sales”, etc.  Pick my Top 5 for short-term immediate goals and Top 5 for long-term goals.  Each night, write down one action for each of the 10 goals that will get me closer to reaching them.  These actions can be as small as sending and email or doing a Google search.  This practice creates momentum, focus, and self-accountability.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I am different in two ways.  First, I ONLY create business growth solutions without adding new costs or hours to the day.  Second, I don’t grow businesses for their financial success, but because I get to know my clients “as a person”, not as a business.  I support them towards their personal life goals, which the business is just one part. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Exposure is one of the most important marketing strategies.  It’s not just about a website or social media, but “internet search” exposure!  That’s what I call it, “Internet Exposure”.  This means that when my name is searched, there are several options to explain what I do, who I am, and why I do what I do.  Most importantly, I share my story and my journey as an entrepreneur.  This is really important to me because I want to be the resource that I never had when I started my business.  It’s scary being a business owner.  There are lots of question; lots of tears; lots of fear.  Sharing my stories helps people find hope that anything is possible, and that I do have a lot of answers to many people’s “nightmares”. 

What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t just know why you’re doing what you’re doing.  Understand why your why is your why.  That doesn’t make sense as first.  But read it again, slowly.  Once you’re honest and vulnerable, you’ll really know the answer.  It’s more than passion, but it’s something much deeper that provides an endless fuel to your fire. 

Similarly, and most common, is that many people will not support you.  Not even friends, family, or a spouse may support your vision.  But here’s the key.  Know two things.  First, of course they are not going to understand.  It’s not their vision or dream.  It’s your vision and dream.  Second, they are “not supporting you” because they are supporting you.  They don’t want you to get hurt, disappointed, or feel like a failure.  Once you understand that they are supporting you in their own way, you may grow to love their “unsupportiveness”, as I have over the past 3 decades.

What’s your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App? Instagram.  Why? Because it’s fast and I have enough time to “detach from thinking” for a few minutes.  Blog? Anything from Zig Ziglar, even though they aren’t blogs.  Why? Because that man has words to really put business as a side-effect of how precious and important life is.  So make a difference in your personal life and your business life.  Book?  I have many, but two of my favorites are “10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure” by Grant Cardone and “It Takes What It Takes” by Trevor Moawad.  I really love these books because anyone who has ever been, or wants to be an entrepreneur can feel like they are weird, or odd, or different.  These books explain that this is normal, okay, and necessary to succeed.  They also go into strengthening mental toughness which is necessary when being an entrepreneur.

What’s your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Don’t laugh, but it’s my phone.  My clients can call me, text me, email, SM me.  This is how I “love” on my clients and show them that I care.  From another standpoint, any “business intelligence” system or app is necessary for explosive growth.  

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is Zig Ziglar because he had such a great heart, cared for so many people, and really showed me that I caring and loving on clients was okay.  I also really love anyone is shares their challenging journey.  I don’t know any entrepreneurs journey that doesn’t involve a lot of tears, fears, and doubt.  When you hear that someone literally spent their last $5 on a pizza, and didn’t know what would happen “tomorrow”, that’s true fear and challenge.  We’ve all been through it.

How do you balance work and life?

I can create explosive growth in a company without adding costs or hours to the day.  I don’t do this for my, or my clients’ financial success.  I do it because I believe with everything in me, that once you can be honest and deliberate about what your values and priorities are in life, THEN you create a thriving and successful business or career around those priorities.  This method removes anxiety and stress, as well as increases mental and physical health, even patience.  So how do I create balance?  I have my “life” first and then my “work”.  It sounds scary and difficult, but I know first hand, it will change your life!

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Watch a movie!  I usually watch romcom or science fiction!  It’s an easy way to spend a few hours not thinking about too much.  That being said, I love hikes and the mountains, but that just requires more time.  And for a longer “decompression”, I go to my family’s lake cabin with no internet or TV.  We are usually there for a month during the summer.  And we spend the entire time with Grandma.  A woman who I would do anything for!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I always have lots planned.  Some people call me a productivity-aholic!  But it’s mostly because I love new opportunities to make a difference in the world.  So I’m organizing my youth summer camps for leadership, entrepreneurship, and life skills because school simply does not prepare children for life and work.  I’m launching my DIY courses with optional live coaching.  And not do I have five books being published in the next 6 months, but I decided to give others the same opportunity.  I created a publishing project that is looking for entrepreneurs, consultants, and experts to share their transformation stories, wisdom and insight, or tips and tricks to share with the world.  I’m super excited about these.

How can our reads connect with you?

I can be reached most of the social media platforms, plus email, or scheduling time from my website.  I love connecting, collaborating, brainstorming, helping, and meeting new friends!

Website: https://www.AndieMonet.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andie.monet_ssd/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/andie.monet.ssd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andiemonet-ssd

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/AndieMonet_ssd

"Make sure you write out your vision" with Deni Supplee of Spark Rental

Photo Credit: Erica Scott

Denise (Deni) Supplee has well over thirty years in real estate and property management. She has owned businesses from a bagel shop, tavern, and small multi-family rental. Before striking out on her own once again, she entered the tech world with a start-up website for landlords in 2006. At the age of 55, Deni embarked with her friend and business partner G. Brian Davis in creating Spark Rental desiring a full soup to nuts solution for those desiring to invest in real estate.  

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I have been involved in business, mostly real estate since I was 17 years of age. Growing up with a self-made entrepreneurial dad provided me with a bug to do my own thing. I saw my dad fail, learn, and then eventually create a large business that supported many. My father was also an avid real estate investor. I remember when I was a really young girl, laying on the floor and going through the real estate section. Most of my friends were reading the cartoons and I was looking at pictures of homes.

My daughter’s father was a marine and we were stationed in North Carolina. While there, I took courses in real estate. In 1985, we moved to Pennsylvania where I took and passed the real estate exam. I got licensed and started in sales. Later, I was offered a position with a small real estate brokerage to learn property management. I fell in love. I have managed communities from 200 + units eventually becoming a regional manager for a large multi-family investment group.

Eventually, after a divorce, I found myself with 4 young children and on my own. Being creative, I rented an extra room in a house that I rented. That enabled me to work longer hours, as the woman I rented to provided childcare.

Eventually I remarried. My husband always backed my entrepreneur flame. I opened a bagel shop until a flood drowned the business, literally. Shortly thereafter the opportunity to purchase a small multi-unit building that also housed a tavern came my way. Operating a bar was new to me and took it’s toll. Eventually I sold it all for a profit, due to an illness.

I began looking for ways to earn a living from my home office. That is where I entered the tech side of real estate being hired as the operations manager for a very large landlord website startup. That website lives on today and grew to be a multi-million-dollar business.

The bug bit me again and I decided, even at the age of 55 to join forces with a friend and coworker. We created Spark Rental.

What inspired you to start your business?

I met Brian when we worked for a SAAS for landlords. We both would talk about the desire to teach and inspire real estate investors while providing them a resource that would automate property management. Spark Rental was born.

Where is your business based?

Spark Rental is an online web-based business but its location is in my hometown of Willow Grove, PA, which is in a suburb of Philadelphia.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Being someone who usually jumps too quickly on ideas and opportunities, this time was a much slower process. I did a lot of thinking. I was 55 when we started and wanted to be sure I had the fortitude to keep on going. However, I knew it was the way to go because there is an excitement growing within whenever I spoke about it.

After making the decision, it was time to form the LLC, partnership paperwork and get all the financials in order. Brian and I had vision meetings frequently. And many plans and checklists.

I have had partnerships before that had some problems. We were the perfect partnership. Where I was weak, Brian had strengths and vice a versa. We kept each other balanced. Almost 7 years later, we are going strong.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

My partner and I both had and have a passion for encouraging and teaching others. Both through our experience and through our failures. We began blogging, eventually leading to a live broadcast on Facebook, that still is ongoing and now a podcast. Creating courses and free webinars were our next step. And of course, social media played a huge part.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Initially our biggest challenge was web development. Although I had many years working for a tech company, my tech experience from the development side was not strong. We lost thousands hiring the wrong tech company. We endured a large, failed partnership along with way and then, of course Covid.

If I am to be honest, there was a point shortly after Covid, where I started with much negative self-talk. I was about ready to throw in the towel citing that I am too old for this. I have a strong faith, supportive family, and an awesome business partner all who kept cheering me on. And I remembered my dad. He failed and failed but just kept going. So, I kept going. And I am glad I did.

How do you stay focused?

I am a multitasker through and through. And oddly this is what kept me focusing. In my early twenties, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Not being one for meds, I decided I would figure another way.

For me having several tasks to deal with has always worked. Additionally, management and operations came to me naturally. To keep myself focused I have become a list maker and a note taker. Since technology has evolved, there are many more resources that not only keep me on task but enable to focus better.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Spark Rental is not a huge corporate giant. We are a small company led by people who care. Truly care. And that heart to teach and encourage and see people succeed has been our differentiator.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Good, strong, and interesting content to begin with. Additionally creating a strong social media presence. We are admins for one of the largest landlord groups on Facebook with over 37K.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Make sure you write out your vision. I create vision boards at the beginning of each year. In the last two years, I actually have a gathering of women friends and we do it together. We then share our visions with each other. I hang that vision board up where I can see it. 

Expect there to be obstacles. But do not give up! Each of those hurdles and challenges helps you grow which helps the business grow.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app besides Spark Rental’s, lol, is Asana. It is a powerful organizational project manager. I love it! My favorite blog is Bigger Pockets, Paula Pant’s Afford Anything. And as far as a book, it is definitely the classic Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.  

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

There are so many tools that I use.

In addition to operating Spark Rental, I also am a treasurer for my church, an active real estate agent and I have a personal blog on Facebook.  Google calendar is a lifesaver. I schedule my meetings, appointments and tasks.

I would say that QuickBooks helps me stay financially organized. Between transactions automatically downloading, it is one of the easiest bookkeeping resources out there.

I love Upwork! I have been blessed to find great people to assist with many tasks in running Spark Rental.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is my father. He is no longer alive, but I can hear his wisdom whenever I seem to need it most. He did not go to college. Yet he was one of the most successful men I know. He also had a very giving and generous spirit.

He built a business from scratch. It was a business that removed silver from X-rays. It provided for many families. It is still a viable business today.

How do you balance work and life?

If I am to be completely honest here, this is and has been a challenge for me. I have to be completely mindful. I set alarms for everything. My husband, my kids, and my best friend remind me to take breaks.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Spending time with my grandkids makes me happiest. There are eleven of them ranging in age of 1 on up to 17 years of age. I like to travel and make frequent trips to the mountains,  and visit Florida (I have family there).

My faith is very important to me.  I write a Christian blog called TYJ Ministries on Facebook and must say that enables me to keep focused and rested.  

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Spark Rental has some new features coming out and I am very excited about that! We will also be doing more free webinars. On a personal level, my husband and I purchased a small camper and plan on doing a whole lot of traveling.

How can our readers connect with you?

I am available via email: Denise@SparkRental.com

Link: https://sparkrental.com

"Don’t overthink it" with Heather Thomas

Photo by Lori Saczynski

In 2008, Heather Thomas and her husband started a small boat rental company on Florida’s Gulf Coast. A former nurse, Heather had no marketing experience, no network, and no funds. Turning to the internet for cheap advertising, she discovered the power of content marketing and went on to turn their small business into a multimillion-dollar rental powerhouse. Having won multiple awards, co-hosted several television shows, and written for national travel magazines, Heather then used her platform to spin-off and create two other businesses: a tour boat company and, most recently,  a restaurant. She has a passion for creating new experiences and enjoys helping others step outside of their regular routines to live richer, fuller lives.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I started a boat rental company with my husband in 2008. Previously, my only work experience was as a waitress in college and then as a registered nurse. We had no business or marketing experience, only 3 boats, and really no idea what we were doing. 

At that time, most of our larger competitors had old, outdated websites and had not caught on to internet marketing yet. We knew if we were going to be able to compete with them that we would have to do it online. I started Googling things like “How to Rank #1 on Google” and learning everything I could. With fresh eyes, I could see what our competitors were lacking. Most of them didn’t even have prices listed on their websites! 

As I learned more about the industry and talked to customers, I started to figure out what kinds of questions they had, and I started answering all of their questions on our website. Soon, those answers started generating traffic and customers started coming to us because we were the only ones answering their questions.

Fast forward to today, and our website is ranked #1 for hundreds of search terms and our small business has grown into a multimillion-dollar company offering over 100 boats for rent in the Destin, Florida area.  We also created a second company offering boat tours for those who aren't comfortable renting their own boat.  

What inspired you to start your business?

The economy wasn’t doing well at the time and my husband was facing a possible layoff. He had been job searching but there were thousands of other people doing the same thing and he wasn’t having much success. We started wondering what we would do if the layoff came and he couldn’t find other work. We came up with the idea to move back to our hometown and start a boat rental business. We spent months doing online research and planning and preparing “just in case”. But the layoffs came and went and my husband didn’t get picked. We found that we were actually disappointed! So when another round of layoffs was announced and the company offered a voluntary buyout, we decided to take it. We used that money to buy our first few boats, sold our house-just narrowly avoiding the housing crash-and moved across the state back to our small hometown.

Where is your business based?

We are on the northern gulf coast in the Florida panhandle in Destin, Florida. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

We bought our boats, hired someone to do our website, leased what was basically a small shack on the waterfront, and started trying to figure out how to get customers. From there we just tried to figure it out as we went! 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

We’ve worked really hard to position ourselves as experts in our field. Whether it’s a blog post, co-hosting a tv show, or writing articles for travel magazines, I’m always looking for new ways to show off our expertise. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Growth has been a challenge, mainly because waterfront property has become so limited in supply. Six years ago we actually made the decision to partner with some of our competitors and book their boats as well, in exchange for a booking fee. So, now in addition to our own boats, we also book other companies’ boats, which has allowed us to expand our revenue without adding additional cost or turning away as many customers. 

How do you stay focused?

I am very goal-oriented, so I’m constantly resetting my goals, which helps give me something to work toward. But, I’m also a big believer in taking time for yourself. It’s impossible to stay focused when everyone is pulling you in a hundred different directions. I wake up early, and that’s my alone time. I write, exercise, and just enjoy the silence for a little while. Then I can tackle the day and focus on the tasks at hand. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

We are the go-to source of information for anyone who wants to spend time on the water during their vacation to our area. Because of that, we’ve established a lot of trust and credibility with our customers. Plus, now that we list our competitors’ boats, we can present the largest selection of inventory in one place. We make vacation planning easy! 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Definitely content marketing! I can say with 100% certainty that we would not be where we are today without our internet presence. Our website receives over 2 million unique visitors a year now, which is huge for any small, locally-owned business. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Don’t overthink it! I’m a big fan of jumping in with both feet and figuring it out later. I’ve had to figure out all aspects of each business we’ve created along the way, and believe that there is no better teacher than experience!

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Favorite app: Grasshopper. This is our virtual phone system. Calls come in and get routed to the reservationist who’s scheduled at that time. The reservationist can be anywhere-most of ours are stay-at-home moms working from home! If we’re closed, customers can leave a message, and it gets transcribed and emailed to me. We can also check voicemails, see missed calls and view answered calls all through the app. 

Favorite Blog: I don’t know that I can narrow it down to one favorite. I read a lot of blogs and have been inspired by many bloggers throughout my journey as an entrepreneur. Some that have helped me the most along the way are Copyblogger for copywriting, Mike Blumenthal’s blog for all things pertaining to local search, and Backlinko for SEO. 

Favorite Book: I’m a voracious reader, so I also don’t have just one favorite book. I’m most inspired by stories of other successful entrepreneurs. Some of my favorite business books to read have been Richard Branson’s Losing My Virginity, Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, and Tim Ferris’s The 4-Hour Work Week. I also really enjoyed Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I think I would die without my booking software, Booking Central. This allows us to manage all of our reservations, in all of their different locations, in one place. It also helps us communicate with our customers, send them confirmations and reminders and text them directions for checking in. We had over 16,000 reservations in 2021. There’s no way I could manage them without Booking Central.  

Who is your business role model? Why?

I’ve looked up to many business owners along the way. Marcus Sheridan was a role model for me for a while. He was a pool guy whose business was on the brink of bankruptcy when he started blogging. He used content marketing to not only save his business but to grow it into a massive brand. He was hugely inspirational to me when I was building our business. 

Josh Oakes has been inspirational as well, as the former owner of a tourism business who now coaches others in the industry on how to build amazing tours and experiences. 

Jesse Itzler would be another favorite. I’m inspired by him because he’s managed to create, build and sell multiple businesses in completely different fields, starting with little to no experience, by jumping in and figuring it out. He also has an amazing zest for life that is contagious. 

How do you balance work and life? I work with my husband and, now that our 3 kids have become teenagers and young adults, they work for us too. So we spend a lot of time together as a family. It’s fun because we are all working toward a common goal. That being said, we do make a point to take time away from work as well. We vacation a few times a year and take time to recharge and to try new experiences whenever we can. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? Being on the water is my happy place; I take any chance I can get to go out on our boat. If that’s not possible, I love to curl up with a good book. 

What do you have planned for the next six months? We are in the process of opening our third business: a restaurant! We plan to open by late Spring 2022. 

How can our readers connect with you? My business websites are destinvacationboatrentals.com, crabislandcompany.com , and- coming soon!- edgeseafood.com. 

"Find a great coach that challenges you, calls you on your sh*t, and inspires you" with Sequoia Craig

Photo credit: Trouble In Paradise Photography

Sequoia Craig is a marketing consultant and web designer for coaches. As the founder of Sequoia Craig Design, she helps coaches avoid tech overwhelm through website design, SEO, and email marketing. Sequoia bridges the gap between coaching and technology by infusing her tech business with coaching practices, self care, and well being. She currently lives in Aptos, CA with her partner and their two pets.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’m a college dropout actually.  It’s not something I actively flaunt because there’s a lot of stigma around it, especially for women.  After I dropped out of college I worked a few odd jobs before I decided I wanted to learn about business consulting.  I reached out to two business coaches and they offered me a full time job managing their businesses.  From there I learned how a business operates.  I’m self taught when it comes to website design, though I did have two mentors along the way that supported me when I had questions, especially around SEO.

Because I consider myself the bridge between coaching and technology, I’d also like to mention my connection with coaching.  I grew up in an emotionally abusive household where I spent my time walking on eggshells.  My mother is a narcissist with borderline personality disorder.  I grew up thinking that everything was my fault, that I was selfish, and that my role was to serve her.  It has taken me a lot of hours of coaching, therapy, and healing to get to where I am today.  The thing about growth is that it’s a constant journey, it’s not a destination so I’m nowhere close to “done” but I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve done to get to where I am.

What inspired you to start your business?

I wish I could say I had this beautiful a-ha moment but in reality, I didn’t.  With the pandemic, my hours got cut so I started taking on my own clients.  I never really considered that this would lead into anything, but my partner told me at the time that this was my path.  He’s super intuitive but I brushed it off.  I still think about how funny it is that he knew before I did.

Where is your business based?

All of my work is done remotely, but I am currently living in Aptos, California.  It’s a small town right next to Santa Cruz, about an hour and half south of San Francisco.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I hadn’t even set up my website or social media before I got my first client.  It was a referral.  After that client I started to see a tiny sliver of possibility.  I quickly got my website up and started with that.  I spent several months in limbo trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do.  For awhile I didn’t use Instagram at all which is interesting because now I get the majority of my clients through Instagram. That being said, I think the best thing to do when starting a business is to figure out exactly what you’re solving.  Identifying the problem, your ideal client, and your solution is the map to the path of your business.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Providing value.  On instagram, on calls, blogs, emails, etc.  Everywhere I show up I try to provide tons of value.  The thing about giving away juicy content is that people think, “If this is the free stuff, imagine how good the paid stuff is!”  This is how I get all of my referrals.  They all come from people who have gotten tons of free value and then referred paying clients my way.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

People always talk about how challenging it is to become an entrepreneur but I really did not understand why.  The first six months of my business were breezy.  I was getting clients and feeling good and then the mindset challenges hit like a ton of bricks.  Suddenly I was overwhelmed with imposter syndrome and fear of failure.  I couldn’t figure out why it happened so randomly and I definitely couldn’t figure out how to get past it.  So I hired a coach.  And it has proved to be the best investment to date.  I’m not totally out of imposter syndrome and I haven’t yet seen the most confident version of myself, but I don’t feel helpless.  I had no idea how deep the self sabotage ran and my coach helped me identify it and move past it.  Do not underestimate the power of a good coach.

How do you stay focused?

My partner calls me a tornado for a reason.  I fly around the house doing various things.  That’s how I’ve found I’m most effective.  If I have a lot to do I’ll make a to-do list and I’ll do one thing on it and then do something else, non-business related.  Then I’ll come back to my to-do list again and then do something non-business related again.  I kind of bop around all day, but it breaks it up and keeps things interesting.  I’m sure there are business bros out there who would say this is “not the right way”, but I’ve learned that leaning into my desires and honoring my sacred feminine energy works great for me.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I try really hard to not focus on my competition.  I don’t follow them on social media and I stay away from their content, otherwise it fuels my imposter syndrome.  That being said, the best way that I’ve found to differentiate myself from my competition is to lean into what sets me apart: me.  My values, my personality, and my individuality are what make my business unique.  That’s why I will always honor my own way of doing business.  I’ve had clients tell me that I listen to them, that I hold space for them, and that I am easy to work with.  These testimonials are my favorite because they highlight who I am as a business owner.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Education has been the most effective way for me to get new clients.  To me it feels like there is so much gatekeeping when it comes to website design and SEO so I am super transparent and educational about the work I do.  My goal is that people will consume my content and learn how important these things are.  That way they can make the most educated decision on whether they want to do it themselves or outsource it.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Find a great coach that challenges you, calls you on your sh*t, and inspires you.  Then hire them.  Coaches are there to help you get to where you want to go by eliminating all the brain gunk in the way.  I’ve worked with some brilliant coaches who have helped me get unstuck in so many areas of my life (not just business).

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite book is We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers.  It’s the most inspirational book I’ve ever read (well I actually listened to it).  If you’re someone who identifies as female and wants to start your own business or already has your own business, this book will fire you up.  I listened to the book and increased my prices, showed up with more confidence, and fired up my business.  It’s powerful.

My favorite blog is my own because it’s full of awesome content and resources all about web design, SEO, entrepreneurship, and self love.  C’mon, of course I have to shout myself out!

My favorite app is called Paired.  It’s a couples app that asks you each a question every day.  It helps bring me back to my relationship with my partner and the way it’s built is brilliant.  If you’re an entrepreneur (or just a busy person) in a relationship, I highly recommend the app.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tool is ActiveCampaign.  It’s an email marketing tool that is super robust and powerful.  If you’re not utilizing email marketing yet, consider this your official invitation to do so.  I say this to almost every person I come in contact with: your email list is invaluable!

And if you don’t need a super robust builder, I suggest Flodesk.

Who is your business role model? Why?

A few months ago I would have about seven answers to this question, but right now I only have one: me.  It’s a funny time to get this question because I’ve been actively trying to listen less to other people and follow my own path.  I’ve been getting tons of signs from the universe that I am the one with the answers to my questions and that I am the leader of my own path.

How do you balance work and life?

The best way to balance work and life is to have extremely clear boundaries.  I don’t work on the weekends and I don’t work past five.  Of course every once and a while there is a workshop or an event on the weekends that I want to participate in, but I never do any client work outside of my official work hours.  This is a hard boundary that I will never waiver on.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

A walk with my dog and my partner.  Or curled up on the couch with them watching Friends sipping on a glass of riesling.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

The next six months for me are all about steady growth, consistency, and fluidity.  I’m working on leaning into the feminine and listening to myself.  I do have some big changes coming to my SEO packages but I’m not ready to share those quite yet.

How can our readers connect with you?

Shoot me a message on Instagram or send me an email at design@sequoiacraig.com!  You can also find me on social media platforms with the handle @sequoiacraigdesign.  My website is sequoiacraig.com.

Links:

Instagram

Website

Email: design@sequoiacraig.com

"Let your values guide your business” with Sara Zellner

Dwayne Clacks

Sara Zellner is an entrepreneur on a mission to help individuals and businesses align their priorities with their values to create positive change. She is the founder and owner of Saz Healthy Living, which provides fitness training, health coaching, and sustainable living coaching services. She is also the principal CEO of Lynz Consulting LLC, which specializes in corporate responsibility; environmental, social, and governance (ESG); and sustainability consulting. PhD-trained, Sara uses her research and coaching skills to delve into her clients’ vexing issues and assist them in reaching their goals.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My personal fitness path began early in life. I grew up in rural Wisconsin, the thoughtful but chubby daughter of two registered nurses. At the age of eight, I wanted to get my ears pierced and asked my mom for permission to do it. We struck a bargain that if I did 30 sit-ups every day for a month, my mom would allow me to get my ears pierced. That was my first foray into fitness goal setting and planning and has fostered a passion for exercise and health ever since.

Professionally, I obtained a PhD, and my career took me into business consulting in health, wellness, and sustainability. Along the way, I realized that I could use my knowledge to help individuals in their own health, wellness, and sustainability journeys. So I armed myself with the skills to make that happen and founded Saz Healthy Living. 

What inspired you to start your business?
Over the years, I spent a lot of time working out at gyms, watching the personal trainers interact with their clients. I got to know some of the trainers, and one of them said to me one day, “Sara, you spend so much time here and you enjoy working out so much, you should think about becoming a personal trainer, too.” Until that point, I’d considered getting certified in personal training but started thinking more seriously about being part of the fitness industry.

Then I met my significant other who is also a personal trainer. Through him, I was able to live vicariously and better understand the ins and outs of creating training plans, working with fitness clients, and reveling in their accomplishments. These cumulative experiences motivated me to finally get certified as personal trainer and health coach and to launch my own business.

Where is your business based?

I’m based in Washington, DC, but all of the services I offer are virtual.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The first step I took to start my business was to become certified as a personal trainer and health coach. The process is actually quite a rigorous one, which required me to study for three months prior to each certification exam. Because I wanted to focus on nutrition and aging fitness, I also pursued specializations in nutrition and active aging.

Once I had obtained my certifications and specializations, I developed my business plan and model, set up my website, and began marketing in earnest.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

I’ve taken a multifaceted approach to raise awareness of my business, which includes creating online content through blogging and guest blogging, being active on social media, and spreading the word through personal connections. I have also created referral partnerships with like-minded health professionals to share business when possible.

 What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

I struggled for a long time with whether I should tie my professional background in environmental sustainability with my fitness training and health coaching. I wasn’t certain whether potential clients would be receptive to the fusion of these topics and prioritize them in their quest to live healthier lives.

But for me personally, the health of our environment is too important an issue in our current age to not to combine it with our personal health. So Saz Healthy Living has been something akin to my Field of Dreams—“Build it and they will come!"

How do you stay focused?

I’ve always been a self-starter, and creating to-do lists with prioritized actions is one of the solutions to keeping me organized. Also believing in the mission of my business is a motivational driver to help me stay on track with my tasks.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I also own a corporate responsibility; environmental, social, and governance (ESG); and sustainability consulting business—Lynz Consulting LLC—so integrating environmental sustainability into my personal training and health coaching has been the core differentiator from my competition.

In my fitness training and health coaching work, the term “sustainability” has two meanings, to: 1) Create lasting and enduring health changes, and 2) Foster personal health and wellness changes that also align with the environmental health of our planet.

With my exercise and fitness training, doing it sustainably means engaging in physical activity on a regular basis and using environmentally-friendly methods and equipment if possible. I also offer diet and nutrition coaching oriented toward organic, clean foods that have a lower carbon footprint. Finally, my services explore using household and personal care products that minimize exposure to environmental hazards, chemicals, and toxins.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach in my work with clients. Lifestyle choices like using environmentally-friendly exercise equipment, eating organic food, or using non-toxic personal care products are good sustainable health and wellness practices, but they are not for everyone. Using my knowledge in sustainability and health, I work with each of my clients to explore the range of possibilities; determine what their unique, healthy lifestyle looks like; and assist them in achieving that vision.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

My most effective marketing strategy thus far has been word-of-mouth business. A referral from a former client who can vouch for my business style and my ability to help clients meet their fitness and health goals plays a potent sales role in generating new leads.  

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

It can be extremely beneficial for your business as well as your mental health to find a support network that can assist you with the development and growth of your business. Seek out online communities or business groups focused on entrepreneurs with whom you can share ideas and learn from others' experiences. In addition, there are also coaches that specialize in entrepreneurship that can serve as wonderful resources and guides.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is the Health app on the iPhone. It’s pre-installed on any iPhone and makes it easy to track the basics of physical activity, such as your steps, flights climbed, and distance covered.

For blogs, I’m a huge fan of The Minimalist Baker. Getting fit and healthy entails not only exercise, but also eating good, nutritious food. The Minimalist Baker has a wide variety of delicious, healthy, no-fuss recipes that simplifies cooking and baking.

Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In still provides great inspiration and insightful lessons for me on how to succeed as a woman in the business world.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Beyond my love of fitness, health, and sustainability, I’m also a data geek. Google Analytics provides a plethora of information to help me track my website activity, users, and more. It’s a powerful resource to use. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

Elon Musk can be a very polarizing figure, but you can’t deny that he’s been an incredible force in business and our society. What I admire most about him has been his ability as an entrepreneur to diversify and pursue related passions and interests. Mr. Musk has demonstrated that if you have a vision for how to make a difference in the world, there’s no reason to limit yourself and not pursue that vision.

How do you balance work and life?

Running two businesses makes my work/life balance a challenge. However, I set aside time for family and friends during my evenings and weekends. I then do some self-monitoring to determine how I’m feeling about my balance. If I find that I’m feeling stressed and drained from work, then I incorporate more leisure time into my schedule.

I’ve also realized that it’s extremely important for me to have a set work cut-off time during the workweek to allow me to wind down for the evening prior to going to bed. Without this relaxation period, I find that I don’t sleep as well and my productivity suffers as a result.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I’m a big believer in practicing what I preach, so exercise is my main way to decompress. I typically work out on a daily basis, mixing cardio and strength training sessions throughout the week. Otherwise, I try to get out for a walk to burn off some steam.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

More work, more marketing, and more new clients!

How can our readers connect with you?

Saz Healthy Living website: https://www.sazhealthyliving.com/

Lynz Consulting LLC website: https://www.lynzconsulting.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarazellner

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saz_Lynz