Aaron Ryan loves all things creative, but has found that writing has been his number one source of inspiration and drive. He is the author of The Dissonance series, a science fiction series based on the idea of aliens visiting earth. Since having started writing a year ago, Aaron has already penned six books in the series. Writing has not only become his creative passion but also the driving force that propels him forward in his life and career.   - Chapters -

00:00:00 Introduction and Background

00:03:35 What’s A Kool Aid Stand?

00:05:57 The 80’s Comic Books

00:11:29 Writing A Book Every Sixty Days

00:15:24 Dissonance: The Lack Of Harmony

00:17:19 Do You Believe?

00:21:48 Pear-Shaped Men

00:25:36 Entrepreneurial Blurred Lines

00:27:02 Listening To The Voice Within

00:30:15 Endorsement Does Not Equal Trajectory

00:33:10 Closing Remarks

Kate Wallace and Blake Chasen first met while working at the same startup. Through their work together, not only did they come to realize that they have great synergy in the office, but also personally as well. With a background in writing, Blake found his niche in custom storytelling online during the pandemic. Now, the couple owns Avenue Stories, an AI-powered storytelling app for children that allows you to custom build characters and stories.    - Chapters - 

00:00:00 Introduction and Background

00:02:24 Side Hustle, Small Business, Marriage

00:05:41 Peddling Up The Ladder

00:09:57 Excitement Outweighing Risk

00:10:50 Burning Out And Growing Up

00:14:38 NFTs Are A NO

00:16:51 Shifting The Infield

00:20:43 Failure Will Fix It

00:24:39 Fundraising Frenzy

00:30:52 Opportunity In AI

00:34:08 Closing

Winnifred Tataw has been writing for as long as she can remember, and has been a professional author for eight years. During the pandemic, Winnifred was looking for ways to better support the indie publishing industry. It was then that she decided to launch Win’s Books Publishing, which officially opened in April of 2024. Now, Winnifred and her team support a handful of authors through their publishing process.

Dawn Kennedy is an attorney, author, and podcaster. In 2020, her husband Mike received a roaster and some coffee beans for Christmas. After tasting his coffee, Dawn bet him he could sell it online. Not expecting much, they made a Facebook post and ended up selling eleven bags. From there, Convoy Road Coffee Roasters was born. Fast-forward to this year, Dawn and Mike have five employees and bring in six-figures of revenues annually.    - Chapters -

00:00:00 Introduction and Background

00:02:23 Coffee: The Cottage Food

00:04:40 Bottlenecks of Business

00:08:18 Transitioning from Side Hustle

00:10:10 Illicit Deals

00:12:27 Growing Organically

00:15:33 Certified Coffee Cuppers

00:19:29 Working hard or hardly working?

00:21:10 Origin of the Month

00:23:10 Overcoming Fear, Moving Forward

00:25:10 “Well, that’s cute.”

00:26:58 The ROASTMASTER

00:30:04 Closing

When Michelle Choairy’s son was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, she found that there were not enough resources out there for parents going through the same thing as her. This is when she founded Wisdom4ComplexKids, an organization focused on providing resources and building community with parents of children with similar needs. Now, Michelle’s goal is to create the best life for her family and other families who have complex children.   - Chapters - 

00:00:00 Introduction and Background

00:03:14 A Lack of Resources

00:05:26 The Catalyst for Change

00:08:55 “This is Awful”

00:10:57 Complex Kids

00:12:18 Deep Dive on Diagnosis

00:15:19 Putting Yourself Out There

00:16:57 The Big Picture

00:19:47 It Takes a Village

00:23:42 Misinformation

00:28:05 They Need You

00:29:40 Closing

Stephanie Shanks has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, from selling livestock in her youth to owning a message therapy practice. It wasn’t until her first child was born that she discovered her passion for photography. With the encouragement of her community, she founded Staphanie Shanks Photography in 2011. When she realized she wasn’t charging enough, she changed her rates and increased her revenue tenfold. 

 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and background 5:56 Photography background 7:54 Going all in 9:17 Setting rates 12:47 Overcoming nerves 14:38 Investing back in the business 16:25 Balancing life and the business 18:04 Finding your personal style 21:11 Managing stress 23:37 Setting boundaries 25:15 Looking back 25:50 Advice for other entrepreneurs 26:28 Closing

Jeff Revilla started his entrepreneurial journey in the early 2000’s by opening a mail order skateboard shop. After that business went under during the 2008 financial crisis, Jeff’s entrepreneurial spirit never went away. In June of 2024, he opened Poduty Live, a podcasting and live event theater based in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. This space allows Jeff to connect podcasters and local and virtual talent to excited audience members.

 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and background 6:02 Finding the right space for your new business 11:43 Overcoming nerves 13:23 Revenue 18:02 Managing a side hustle while working full-time 21:18 Looking back on the business 22:57 Advice for other entrepreneurs 26:28 Technology recommendations 28:07 Closing and contact

Formally a courtroom attorney, Amity Gleason first gained an interest in jewelry design when she was getting married. As someone with an appreciation of gothic style, she found most jewelry on the market didn’t match this style and instead followed the same cookie cutter patterns. This inspired her to start Amity Alexandra Jewelry Design, a jewelry company focused on making one-of-a-kind pieces that don’t break the bank.

 

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and background

6:57 - Jewelry making process

10:35 - Overcoming fears and finding clients

14:11 - Work-life balance

16:14 - Building your brand

18:58 - Saving money

22:08 - Entrepreneurship and parenthood

25:39 - Setting boundaries

27:36 - Looking back

28:30 - Advice for other entrepreneurs

30:05 - Closing and contact

 

As a military spouse, Bonnie Conrad was tired of starting at a new job everywhere she moved. In 2018, she decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship by founding I Built This, a furniture building company. Through selling furniture, she discovered digital marketing and decided to dive into it full-time by founding Second You. In 2023, she merged her business with Inn8ly, a website technology company, to expand her impact in the digital space.   Chapters  

00:00 - Introduction and background

8:10 - Entrepreneurial background

10:59 - Overcoming nerves and starting the business

13:15 - Balancing life and entrepreneurship 

15:31 - Merging with another business

20:00 - Helpful technology and apps

20:40 - Looking back

23:46 - Advice for other entrepreneurs 

25:53 - Social media strategy advice

26:49 - Closing and contact

Ryan Klee is the Co-Founder of Rootstock, an organization dedicated to helping ambitious leaders and businesses expand their brands and scale their operations. Rootstock achieves this by harnessing the power of strategic thinking, refining compelling narratives, and sharing those stories with broader audiences. With a background in PR, Ryan grew tired of the traditional 9 to 5 routine and, along with a colleague, launched the business in 2021.   Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and background

3:30 - Venturing into entrepreneurship

7:46 - Finding clients

9:18 - Origin of the company name

10:13 - Shifting business models

17:41 - Resonating with clients

22:30 - Looking back

26:31 - Advice for fellow entrepreneurs

28:34 - Closing and contact

With a background in marketing, Chris Van Nostrand never envisioned himself becoming an entrepreneur. It wasn't until his late 30s, seeking a change, that he decided to transform his lifelong passion for powerlifting into a full-time career. This shift coincided with the pandemic, bringing numerous learning opportunities along the way, including owning a virtual business and customer acquisition.   - Chapters - 

00:00 - Introduction

3:10 - Entrepreneurial background

6:22 - Funding the business

7:30 - Impact of the pandemic

8:50 - Overcoming nerves

10:28 - Finding your market and services offered

14:55 - Tracking costs and customer acquisition

17:52 - Making the leap into full-time entrepreneurship

26:58 - Health and Wellness

29:47 - Reflecting back on the business

32:00 - Closing and contact