Business Discussions

  When Vana started Le Papier Studio in 2008, she thought it was just a side job that would allow her to spend more time at home with her kids while still indulging in creative work.   But after her shop was featured on a popular blog and mentioned on The Today Show, Vana decided to dive in and start thinking like a small business owner.   We couldn't wait to learn more about how she strikes a balance between work and home (hint: it might have something to do with outsourcing) and why she recently chose to lower her prices so that she could keep her customers happy.   Let's hear from Vana!    Name: Vana Chupp   Business: Le Papier Studio   Started: March 2008   How did you create your awesome job?   I graduated with a master's in architecture and worked for two-and-a-half years before giving birth to my son. I knew I didn’t want to go back to work full-time, so I became a freelancer. Although it was good to spe

I have no credit and am seeking the fastest ways to build.

I see that many say no collateral. I'm new to the whole thing. I expect they will require that you've been in business with profit for two years.What if I don't have any credit?

    What will your new year bring? Are you hoping to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign, hire your first employee or simply get better at balancing work and family? Whatever your goal, a new year is always a great time to dream big.   Thing is, we know it’s tough enough to clearly define business goals, let alone meet them.     That’s why we’ve asked business owner and consultant Sarah Harrison to share some practical ideas for turning business dreams into reality. Sarah’s wisdom comes from experience: This former product-team manager left her full-time job feeling burned-out and exhausted. When she decided to start working for herself, Sarah applied the same systems she used successfully during her career to to create systems for her own goal-setting, planning and accountability.   Here, Sarah explains her tried-and-tested strategies for setting and achieving goals in your business -- or even in your life.    1. Commit to creating sys

  Chris Cornatzer spent most of his career as a sheet metal worker. He came up with the occasional business idea now and then, but nothing really stuck. Then, after discovering Etsy, he decided to create a side business making hilarious coffee mugs — and things are taking off in a big way!   We chatted with Chris about why SEO is important when you have an online store, making the transition from full-time work to working for yourself and the big open question he has for all of *you.*     Name: Chris Cornatzer   Business: TheMugLoft   Started: August 2015   What originally inspired you to create your business?   I'm a vendor on Etsy who, until about mid-2014, had never heard of it! I'd been working in sheet metal construction for over 30 years and I had tried a couple of times to start a business, but didn't have any success. For 10 years, I gave up even attempting to get something started.    Then, one

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      Right after Chantel Adams became pregnant with her first child, she was accepted into medical school. Having already deferred her place for a year, she decided not to pursue medicine after all, and instead she filled her life with four children. It was just as well — because it was one of her children who would give her the idea for starting her business, Forever We.    Forever We makes special dolls for children who have cancer and Chantel donates 10% of the purchase price to childhood cancer research. Here, Chantel shares with us what she's learned a year and a half into launching Forever We and what she's hoping to tackle next so that she can take her business to the next level.   Name: Chantel Adams Business: Forever We Started: September 2014   How did you create your awesome job? I have a degree in biology, but I’ve spent the past 20 years working at various nonprofit organizations. I’ve been a hospice v

    Love can make people do the strangest of things — including finding a new passion for making gluten-free sourdough bread! Such was the case for Sadie Scheffer, who started baking to win the heart of a gluten-intolerant love interest. Although that relationship didn’t work out, her enthusiasm for gluten-free baking soon went from a hobby to a full-time business.    Over five years later, the Bread Srsly brand can be found in grocery stores across San Francisco, as well as at craft shows nationwide. We spoke with Sadie about the benefits of a getting a business education, the challenges of expanding your production and why you should recruit your mom to help spread the word!   Name: Sadie Scheffer   Business: Bread Srsly   Started: August 2011   How did you create your business?   I first started baking to impress a gluten-intolerant boy who I had moved to California for!    Things didn't work out between us, but I determinedly

      Carly Burson always thought her legacy would be rooted in giving children a home. But after spending time at the Ethiopian orphanage where she adopted her daughter, she realized that parents weren’t giving up their kids because they weren't wanted — they just couldn’t afford to keep them.   Inspired by this revelation, Carly began to figure out a way to target poverty in developing countries and keep families together. She eventually founded Tribe Alive, a fashion retailer that employs skilled female artisans to create handcrafted items.   We recently caught up with the ethical entrepreneur to talk about pricing complications and how she calculates a living wage for her staff.   Name: Carly Burson   Business: Tribe Alive   Started: June 2014   How did you create your awesome job?   My husband and I flew to Ethiopia to finalize our daughter’s adoption three years ago. While we were there, we saw birth parents v

  When Jamie Smith left her teaching job to pursue a creative career, she realized right away there was demand for a support network serving Vancouver artists like herself. She'd always been interested in bringing people together, so she started THRIVE Studio along with a series of motivational speaking sessions to that she could share her work and experiences with like-minded people.   A couple of years on, her crew of female artists is alive and growing in beautiful British Columbia. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to Jamie about building a business based on community, making a living from hosting talks and why getting out of her pajamas is so important when she's working from home!     Name: Jamie Smith   Business: THRIVE Studio   Started: 2013   How did you create your awesome job?   I used to be a high school art teacher, but I always knew that career path wasn't for me. I am an artist first and for

  How many times have you read a how-to and wondered, "How do I really use this for my business?"   We're rounding up real-life stories of how small business owners and self-employed professionals just like us are taking their businesses to the next level. So far we've covered how to tap into the power of Instagram to get new customers, tips for tracking cash flow and tried-and-true ideas for finding more time in your day.   With this new guide, we're tackling the social platform that just about everyone has declared the next big thing of 2016: Snapchat.   Read on to learn how other members here in the community are using Snapchat to grow their businesses + get our quick and dirty guide for getting started.   Hack 1: Start With Your Why Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of how Snapchat actually works, let's talk about why you should even consider adding Snapchat to the rotating arsenal of&n

  Paul Heffner has always had a knack for numbers. So when Finance Pals took off — the side hustle he launched to keep himself afloat while working on four other ideas — he made a smart calculation and turned it into his main focus.    We sat down with Paul to talk about playing to your talents, the importance of networking and how he learned to negotiate on pricing.   Name: Paul Heffner Business: Finance Pals Started: October 2015   How did you create your awesome job?   When I graduated from Duke University, I went into management consulting at Accenture. I liked figuring out which parts of businesses worked — or didn’t —and why.    I’ve always loved numbers, even back in middle and high school, so after six years I moved on to Cricket Wireless, a small cell phone company, where I eventually became the Director of Finance. AT&T bought Cricket, and when the merger went through I was given a severance package th

    Ever had a moment when you needed cash right away? So much so that you headed to your couch to see what might be hiding in the cushions?   Yeah, we've done that, too.    But here’s some good news. We’ve learned there's always a way to manage expenses better and, as a result, find extra cash when it's needed most. Over time, we’ve figured out how to ditch expenses we can live without. We’ve scrutinized where every dollar is going. We’ve cashed in on money hiding out in long-lost invoices. And that’s just the beginning.   Today, we’re sharing some of our go-to strategies for managing expenses and making the most of our moolah. Best of all? There’s no couch reassembly required :-)   Hack #1: Cut one expense right now (even pens count!)   When cash gets tight, pull out your chopping block.    We guarantee some of your precious pennies are hiding in sneaky places like high credit card interest rates, rent increases and unnecessary suppl

  Carolyn Phillips was always passionate about food and entrepreneurship. Yet, she wasn’t quite sure how to combine her two passions until her husband asked why she had two freezer chests full of homemade frozen pops in their dining room.    We caught up with Carolyn to ask about the journey to becoming a small business owner, the big lessons she's learned about pricing and the exact moment when she realized she had to start thinking like a CEO.       Name: Carolyn Phillips   Business: Alchemy Pops   Started: March 2015   What inspired you to start Alchemy Pops?   My undergrad major was in Entrepreneurial Management and I focused on the sustainability of food systems in graduate school. I always intended to start a business, but I weaved my way into creating Alchemy Pops completely sideways.   Originally, I threw a party at my house and combined ingredients from the farmers' market with my liquor cabinet to make a bunch

    Seth David is a master of maximizing profits and productivity — both within his own business and as a consultant for other accountants, bookkeepers and small business owners. Recently, we chatted with Seth to learn more about how he built his business over time by tapping into the power of YouTube and social networking channels like Twitter to reach a wider audience and automate his work via online courses and training sessions. Take it away, Seth!   Name: Seth David Business: Nerd Enterprises Consulting Started: 2003   Tell us a little more about your background and how you got to where you are now. I was a computer science major in college and, long story short, my interest in academics was waning. I'd been doing some acting at the time, and one of my directors said that he would write me a recommendation for a theater arts program in California.  I left school and planned on getting in my Jeep, driving across the country and working in restaur

 Nicole Hodsdon struck out on her own two years ago after realizing that her bent-plywood creations had a bigger market than just her brother-in-law. As the owner and designer of Ciseal (pronounced ‘suh-seel’ and named after the Irish word for layer), she creates durable, nature-inspired furniture for creative curators. Every single product is made in-house in her tiny basement studio in Michigan.  We chatted with her about the importance of understanding your market when you're pricing your goods – and how exactly you bend plywood by hand.    Name: Nicole Hodsdon  Business: Ciseal Furniture and Home Goods Started: 2013  How did you create your awesome job?  After getting a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I majored in product design at The College for Creative Studies. My first job out of college was freelancing in product design, mostly focusing on things like packaging, interior displays and craft design.  At first, I found clients

Michelle’s business was almost over before it began when her relationship with her boyfriend — and his distribution network — came to an end. But that wasn’t enough to stop her from achieving her dreams.  Today, Michelle runs a successful jewelry business that she launched all on her own. We asked her to break down the exact formulas she uses to price her items and share her tips for experimenting with pricing when you have items that just aren't selling. Name: Michelle Chang   Business: Michelle Chang Jewelry Started: October 2007 How did you create your awesome job? When I lived in New York City, my boyfriend at the time owned a successful company that designed custom watches, which were sold across the US.  He had a good distribution network already in place, and he wanted to expand his business to include jewelry. He thought I had a good eye for design and asked if I’d start the jewelry section for his company. At the time I was doing illustration work and my

With clippers in hand and a keen eye on the financials, former accountant Ellie Pamphilon's quirky barbershop has become an Instagram star – and to top it off they're also beating all of their cash flow forecasts.  So, what's Ellie hoping to improve next in her business? Read on to find out!   Name: Ellie Pamphilon Business: Owner of Barber Streisand Started: May 2015 How did you create your awesome job? I’d love to say my move into barbering came from a lifelong passion, but actually, as an accountant, it was the logical outcome of my research. I loved working in retail when I was at college and knew I wanted to set up my own shop, so I looked into low-risk, financially viable small business models. I figured, people will always need haircuts – and technology won’t put me out of business anytime soon. I worked full-time at my accounting job while I learned barbering. I took a one-on-one course from the London School of Hairdressing so I could fit it around my

Precious Williams likes to dream BIG. Three years ago, she took a risk and entered a series of pitch competitions to see if she could fund her idea for a lingerie business aimed specifically at curvy women. It worked. Today she's juggling multiple roles — CEO of Curvy Girlz, self-employed attorney and occasional actress — and scheming up her next big goal: to turn Curvy Girlz into a million dollar business.  Name: Precious L. Williams, Esq. Job: Owner of Curvy Girlz Started: 2012 Tell us the story behind starting Curvy Girlz. I grew up watching Perry Mason and dreamed of becoming an attorney, so I went to law school and eventually set up my own firm. With that goal achieved, I set my sights even higher and resolved to become the best entrepreneur of all time. There aren’t many celebrated African American entrepreneurs out there. People talk about Oprah and Bob Johnson, but they’re 20 years older than me and I want to show the world how it’s done. The

  The perennial Kudzu plant isn’t widely loved, but for Tiffany — who named her company after the root — it’s come to stand for a self-sufficient lifestyle.  Tiffany Everett has been making art for others ever since her classmates asked her for portraits of their pets at school, but it wasn’t until she discovered Etsy that she realized she could turn her hobby into a career.  Now that she's getting ready to launch her new website, we asked Tiffany to dish on making the transition from full-time employee to up-and-coming business owner and the biggest branding mistake she made early on.   Name: Tiffany Everett Business: Kudzu Monster on Etsy Started: November 2014   Who or what inspired you to create Kudzu Monster? I started using Etsy in 2009, selling hand-bound journals while I was still in college. I also designed and sold baby mobiles with a friend through Etsy, but Kudzu Monster is my first really successful shop. I went to art school in Geo

You might recognize Desiree as one of our top 10 finalists in Small Business Big Game or from her recent appearance on Shark Tank.  Desiree co-founded Unshrinkit back in 2013 as part of a class project — two years later her solution for shrunken sweaters is flying off the shelves. Along the way she's learned a ton about how to handle customer service and why solving an existing problem is key to finding a market for your product. Let's hear from Desiree! Name: Desiree Stolar Business: Unshrinkit Started: December 2013   Tell us a little more about how Unshrinkit was born. Who or what inspired you to create your product? My co-founder Nate and I started Unshrinkit while we were still students at Harvard Business School.  In the winter of 2013, we were given $5,000 to work on a micro-business as part of a class. Our team of six decided that collectively we wanted to build something with our hands — it was important to us that at the end of the project we could s

Kimberly was recently one of our top 10 finalists in Small Business Big Game, so we sat down with her to learn more about her own journey as a small business owner. As the founder of WiggleKids in Swansea, Massachusetts — an inclusive fitness studio for all ages and abilities — Kimberly gets to have fun every day on the job while also providing a unique service in her community.  Take it away, Kimberly!   Name: Kimberly Ferrara Business: WiggleKids Fitness Studios   How did you come up with the idea for WiggleKids? When my own kids started taking classes in our local community for different activities and sports, I realized there were always children who didn't fit into the typical "sports" model, but they still needed movement classes just as much as anyone else. A friend asked me to come up with a program for the town recreational department that was specifically for toddlers. At the time, another friend whose son has autism asked if I could take that sa

When Spencer Pickslay first opened up his Etsy shop to sell the handmade wooden items he was making on the side as a hobby, he had no idea that someday his biggest seller would also be his smallest. Four-and-a-half years later, Spencer is making a living selling his custom wooden guitar picks online and exploring what it might mean to begin wholesaling his star product. Read on to learn more about how he got here and what he's hoping to tackle next in his business!   Name: Spencer Pickslay Business: Woodworker and Owner of Pickslays Woodworking Started: April 2011   How did you create your awesome job? I wasn’t always into woodwork. I didn’t enjoy it in high school and I didn’t have handy parents, or anything like that.  It wasn’t until I started working in a hardware store and got to playing around with some old materials and watching YouTube tutorials that it really clicked. In 2010, when I was getting really into woodworking as a hobby, my grandmother taught me how t

      Turning her baking hobby into a profitable business has been as much a labor of love for Felicity as a money-making venture, but only after countless hours of playing with the ingredients to find the perfect mix.   According to Felicity, the old saying "speculate to accumulate" is still an effective way to generate business. But she also told us that spending too much time indulging in a passion can hurt a company’s bottom line.   To get the inside scoop on baking as a profession, on why freebies are an effective marketing tool and how time management is crucial, we talked with the mom of Buttercream Babies.    Name: Felicity Price Business: Buttercream Babies Started: November 2012   What inspired you to set up Buttercream Babies as a business?   Apart from my love of cake, I really wanted to do something creative. Like most people I wanted to work for myself, but the real reason I started baking full time was because

      Since their commercial appeared in the Super Bowl on February 7, 2016, Death Wish Coffee Company has seen the kind of growth most small businesses only dream of!   Above, we're sharing the BIG highlights — including a 550% increase in sales (um, wow!), how they crushed it at social media and what you can expect from them next (hint: it may involve a celebrity sponsored brew!). Congrats again to Mike and his amazing team. :-)