Business Discussions

    Between teaching sewing classes and running her own business, Sarah Burroughs of Anne B Designs also manages to give back to her community by hiring refugees. Her beautiful bags and totes have seen a great response so far in Europe and in the US, but she's still growing her business slowly step by step.    We chatted with Sarah about how she got up the courage to quit her day job, what she's learned about work-life balance and what she's hoping to learn next from *you.*   Name: Sarah Burroughs     Business: Anne B Designs     Started: 2014     What inspired you to start your own small business?   Anne is my middle name and I loved the thought of calling my fashion design company Anne B ever since high school, when I first started making bags. By the time I went to college, I was making them for friends and getting more and more positive feedback.   After college, I had a marketing job that ju

      Erik Burling and his wife, Lauren, run a full-service yoga studio with a difference. Located in one of Philadelphia's toughest areas, Roots Philly Yoga sets itself apart by offering free classes to homeless people in the community once a week.   With business burgeoning less than a year in, we sat down with Erik to talk about how patience pays off, why outreach is so important and what yoga can do to help create an inclusive community.   Name: Erik Burling   Business: Roots Philly Yoga   Started: June 2015   How did you create your awesome job?   I studied broadcasting at Temple University and worked as an anchor for a local news channel for three years. I loved the job, but the lifestyle that came with it wasn’t for me.    I started practicing yoga as a way to unwind, and became so drawn to it that I knew I had to find a way to do it every day.    I eventually left the world of broadcastin

      Author, entrepreneur and USA Today columnist, Rhonda Abrams is widely recognized as one of the nation’s foremost experts on small business, entrepreneurship and business planning. She was also one of our special guests atQuickbooks Connect Chicago recently, where she led a session on the five key things every small business owner must do in order to get more customers online.   We asked Rhonda to share with us a bit more about her own journey to entrepreneurship and why it's crucial to identify your niche.          Tell us a bit about your background. When and how did you decide you wanted to be an entrepreneur?   I grew up in Los Angeles and went to UCLA, then attended grad school at Harvard. I lived in Texas for a few years after that, but soon found my way to San Francisco.    I worked for the Anti-Defamation League for awhile, but realized early on during that experience that I wanted to work fo

      Husband and wife duo Nate and Erin Moren have been on the same track since they met at college. Now, with their company Tandem Made, they've combined business with pleasure to make high-quality, bespoke furniture, jewelry and home accessories that blend function with style.    Erin loves the excitement of producing unique items for equally unique clients, so we chatted with her to learn more about what their day-to-day is like, how they price their products and what areas she's hoping to master next as a successful small business owner.     Name: Erin Moren Business: Tandem Made Started: 2011   How did you create your awesome job? I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a focus on furniture design from Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). That’s where, in the woodshop, I met my husband and now business partner, Nate, who was in the same courses.   We started  Tandem Made just after w

        Videos tell great stories. For small businesses and self-employed professionals looking to get more customers or grow followers, they also hold within them lessons worth stealing.   Dollar Shave Club launched a subscription razor business in 2012 with one perfect video. Three years later, their launch video "Our Blades Are F***ing Great" has racked up 19 million views on YouTube and the company has raised over $72 million in capital. This means they have also figured out how to generate cold hard cash through predictable sales from new and returning customers. So, how did they get started? Let's roll the tape.   A Clear Customer in Mind: Twentysomething Dudes The Dollar Shave Club customer was clear. It was created for young, "metrosexual" men who cared as much about their wallet as their face. These men probably looked a lot like Mike Durbin, the company co-founder and host of the video.   It's not hard to imagine the gu

  The love of the deal and a desire to help other entrepreneurs inspired Julie Gordon White to start her own boutique acquisitions firm and The WELL, a consulting and mentoring business for female entrepreneurs. Both of Julie’s business ventures are aimed at helping small business owners take their business to the next level — and make them appealing to potential buyers.   Here, we chat with her about the secrets to making your business sellable, bringing in more cash and what you can expect from her talk at QuickBooks Connect 2015: “Lessons Learned from Growing a $1M Business and How You Can Too,” all about taking your business past the one million mark.       Tell us a little more about yourself and the businesses you’ve created.   I started my first company in 2004, after spending five years in the hotel industry. Once I started having kids, it was a bit hard to travel the world with little ones in tow. I worked on a lot of things that didn’t pan out u

      How did a former stay-at-home mom buy a 32,000-sq. ft. equestrian complex and start a horse riding school so trusted that its clients come from as far away as Australia? We *had* to hear her crazy story, so we asked Corinne Lettau, owner of Denver Equestrians Riding School, to share with us how she used Groupon to launch her business and why she focuses on word-of-mouth momentum to build customer relationships.   We'll let Corinne take it from here...     Name: Corinne Lettau Business: Equestrian Center Owner Started: 2008    How did you create your amazing job?   Back in 2008, I was a stay-at-home mom and my child was starting kindergarten, so I made the decision to go back to work. I couldn't find any jobs in my previous field, which was advertising and marketing, so I thought, "I'll just teach some riding lessons and see how it goes."   Then I heard about  Groupon in 2009. I recognized i

    Jess McClary used to bake for the local farmer's market. Now she makes "shrubs," or colonial drinking vinegars, and they're wildly popular as creative cocktail ingredients. She told us about how she focuses on the bigger picture, shares her stories of running into unexpected difficulties with bottling and discusses her plans for future growth.   Let's hear from Jess!  Name: Jess McClary Business: Owner of McClary Bros., a drinking vinegar producer Started: 2012   Q: Tell us about the inspiration for McClary Bros.! How did you guys get started?   A: My husband started a business in 2006, but it failed during the 2008 recession and we had to declare personal bankruptcy. I'd always baked with my mom when I was younger, and I still enjoyed it, so I decided culinary school was the next step. I started the McClary Bros. Bakehouse from home and named it after my twin boys Jack and Ben.   But about eight months in, I

    Matt Clackett is a musician who has worked with some of the world’s biggest artists. Now that he's moved into a music business consulting role, he's utilizing Facebook and LinkedIn to reach a new audience and grow his client base. He talks to us about the importance of having a finely-tuned strategy and why word-of-mouth referrals are golden.     Name: Matt Clackett Job: Freelance Session Saxophonist and Music Consultant Started: 1990   Q: How did you get started as a freelance musician?   A: At 17, I had just relocated to a new city and I searched Time Out magazine to find open jam sessions. I went to as many as I could and played whenever I could. I started seeing the same musicians at different venues and soon I was building a network of contacts, which eventually turned into paid work that took me all over the world.   Q: What has been your biggest challenge when it comes to consistently getting new work?  

    Unlike your average photographers, Adam Hendershott and Will Harper work out of a bright magenta truck that trundles around the streets of LA offering actors a chance to get their headshots taken. They told us how they developed a unique brand, found a crew that personified their brand, and weathered some unexpected legal challenges.   Read on to see what they learned from their first year of business and where they'll be moving next!  Name: Adam Hendershott and Will Harper Occupation: The Headshot Truck Started: 2014   Q: What were you doing before The Headshot Truck?   Will: After I got my MFA in film, I went to an ad agency to make commercials, and my job somehow slowly morphed into a business-oriented position where I was helping client agencies launch new startups. I spent a couple years consulting, creating new ideas, and getting businesses past their early hurdles. I had a pretty interesting ca

      Tyler Patin had a long career in real estate before he decided to launch his own design and development company, studioPATINA. His focus now is on building affordable homes and nurturing communities in New York and New Orleans.    When we met Tyler and heard the story of how he started his business, we knew we needed to share it out. So without further ado... here's Tyler!    Name: Tyler Patin Job: Founder and CEO at studioPATINA Design + Development Founded: January 2014    Q: How did studioPATINA come about?   A: studioPATINA was an idea to merge my interests in architecture and interior design with real estate development.    Having worked on numerous mixed use and multi-family development projects over the years, I felt as though there was a disconnect between the design intent that initially drove these projects and the development teams in charge of making them viable. 

  Let’s get this part out of the way: I think theSkimm is amazing. Full-on brilliant. If you’re a woman in her 20s or 30s, chances are you’ve known about theSkimm for at least a few years now. If you’re anyone else, expect to start hearing a lot more about these women very soon.   Back in 2012, when Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin sent out the very first edition of theSkimm, it’s hard to imagine that either could have predicted how exponentially successful their daily newsletter would become. Nearly four years later, over 3.5 million people (us included) look forward to starting every day by reading theSkimm’s sharp, deliciously on-point recap of the news. Even Oprah and Reese Witherspoon have pledged their allegiance to what Weisberg and Zakin have created.   Taking an idea from zero to 3.5 million is no small feat. So how did they do it?   We decided to dig in and find out exactly how these entrepreneurs turned on the gasoline in their business without breaking

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      Fashion was never a big part of Benjamin Steele’s youth in Grand Junction, Colorado. Yet, when he reached British shores as a missionary, he noticed that men wore slimmer fits, different fabrics and patterns — and paid far more attention to detail. After deciding to become an entrepreneur, Benjamin set out to revive the American gentleman with his neckwear line, Sir Wylde.   Sir Wylde started off small but is steadily growing while Benjamin studies Public Relations at Brigham Young University. We caught up with this budding entrepreneur to talk about the sacrifices he's endured so far and what he's learned about using social media to get new customers.       Name: Benjamin Steele   Business: Sir Wylde   Started: October 2015   How did you create your awesome job?   I knew I was ready to start a company when I returned from missionary work in England two years ago. A friend suggested I start a neckwear company and I

  Last year, Hamilton took home 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Book and Original Score. The hit hip-hop musical about the Founding Fathers is groundbreaking not just because of its unique story and musical style. While classic productions like Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King each claim to have grossed $6 billion worldwide, Hamilton has a clear path to becoming a billion dollar business — and it’s only in its first year.     This is the story of how they took a creative project and turned it into an unexpected success.   After picking up a copy of Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton biography while on vacation, Lin Manuel Miranda began a six-year labor of love writing the lyrics and music for what would become Hamilton.   The musical made its Off-Broadway debut to a sold-out crowd at The Public Theater in February 2015 before moving to the Richard Rodgers Theatre in August of 2015. On Broadway, it was ecstatically received from audiences and critics

I have a Real estate cleaning business.  I do not sell anything.  I only charge for labor.  Someone told me I needed to charge sales tax on labor.  Some others tell me no I don't need to.  Anyone know the facts on this?

https://innovatenewalbany.org/author/sjbarakony/ https://relaleadership.com/impact-squared-introducing-soft-skills-development-entrepreneurial-ecosystem/  One of the least well understood, yet very impactful, roadblock that many entrepreneurs, freelancers, and the self employed professional face is that their schooling years likely did not offer any coursework in soft skills.  Going all the way back to the 1930's, it was well understood that interpersonal/people/human relations skills were important, yet the conventional system's tracks (K-12, collegiate, graduate programs) quite often still did not adapt. Trusting that these posts will be of ongoing value to you!    Thoughtful feedback welcome.    

  Serving in the military might be tough, but nothing can prepare entrepreneurs for the uncertainty of setting up their own business according to personal trainer and supplement supplier Jase Elves.   Wanting to make a difference in people’s lives might be one of the oldest clichés in the small-business book, but Jase really did start out with a desire to bring out the best in people. To do this, he says, entrepreneurs need to aim to be at the top of their game — and that means never settling for second place. Jase certainly doesn't mess around when it comes to his business: he gets results!   We grabbed a few moments with him to find out how military discipline and the pursuit of excellence helped him become a success in the fitness industry.  Read on for his inspiring story!     Name: Jase Elves Business: Jase Elves Fitness Started: 2013   Why did you decide to create your business?   After leaving the military, I wanted to con

  In a world dominated by fancy cowls and appliquéd fingerless gloves, what’s a male knitter to do? Or, in this case, what’s a man to knit?    Gus Baxter fell in love with the art of knitting only a couple years ago, but he had a tough time finding masculine patterns that suited his style. So, out of need, he began designing his own.   Today, his business GCB Designs offers a range of handsome patterns and projects that knitters at all levels can choose from. Gus also teaches classes on his craft and publishes pieces on knitting for men. We talked to Gus about how he discovered his niche business, his secrets for successful time management and why he believes in the power of optimism.     Name: Gus Baxter Business: GCB Designs Started: 2014   What inspired you to create your business?   I began knitting in January of 2014. As I became more and more engrossed in the fiber world, I realized it was missing a variety of mas

    When Romy Taormina suffered intense morning sickness during both of her pregnancies, she decided to manufacture a product that would relieve nausea for others — whether it was caused by motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy or anesthesia.   Now, as Romy is considering expanding her product line and expanding her business even further, she talks with us about the order that allowed her to dream big in her business, how she learned to price her products and why she still sees every single day as a growth opportunity.   Let's hear her story!                    Name: Romy Taormina Business: Psi Bands Started: 2006   How did you create your awesome job?   I suffered from debilitating morning sickness throughout both my pregnancies, so I was basically sick for more than a year. I tried some anti-nausea wristbands but they looked like sweat bands — they weren’t waterproof and they wer

  Caitlin Ahern is on a mission to change the world of experience tourism for good. Her business, Thread Caravan, connects native artisans with English-speaking travelers to teach them ancient craftsmanship skills.  We chatted with Caitlin about how she got her first customers and what her big goals are for her new business. Plus, read on to find out what she's hoping to learn next from you.   Name: Caitlin Ahern Business: Thread Caravan Started: June 2015   How did you create your awesome job? The idea came to me about a year and a half ago, when I was living in Hawaii. I met up with a photographer friend, Alex, who’d just come back from Alaska. He was doing environmental documentary work out there, spending time with a group of Native Americans who had been pressured into selling their land to loggers. The community thought they’d only be losing the wood, but cutting down the trees also meant removing the roots that had filtered the water in the gr

Inspired by the idea that she could make a difference by connecting kids to different charities, Lily started Little Loving Hands just last year. Already, she has a loyal base of parents, grandparents and teachers who love her monthly subscription boxes and the work she's doing to get kids of all ages giving back in a meaningful way. We chatted with her about the challenges of telling her brand’s story, why she wishes she'd quit her day job a lot earlier and what she's hoping to learn next from you. Take it away, Lily! Name: Lily Yeh Business: Little Loving Hands Started: 2015 How did you create your business? Although I spent most of my career doing marketing for large corporations, I've always been an entrepreneur at heart. The idea for my business came from having my two young children. I’ve been involved in charitable giving for most of my adult life, and I wanted to make sure that my children had a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what they have in life. I want t

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