Expanding your business and drawing in more customers may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Just ask Amy Porterfield, New York Times bestselling author of Two Weeks Notice and Host of The Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, who managed to increase her sales in only a year.  “The people who need you will find you, even if you put a stake in the ground.” Amy says. “If your message resonates with them, but doesn't fit perfectly, that's okay. If they like what you're saying and they find value, they will find you.” Learn how you can replicate Amy’s growth by managing your mindse ..read more

Ready to make a difference with your business but don’t know where to start? Just ask Thomas Ling, founder of Kin+Kind, who combined his passion for the environment and love of animals to create eco-friendly pet products. Thomas breaks down what makes a business sustainable, the importance of transparency and authenticity, and how you can start a business that does good in the world.  “It's important that we are running the kind of company that we want to see out in the world.” Thomas says. Learn what it takes to be a clean business, and the benefits that come with it. In this episode ..read more

The more people see your products, the more sales you’ll probably get – and a marketing strategy can help you do that.  Just ask Elena Fahrländer, the Chief Commercial Officer of Danish Endurance, a company that sells their products worldwide. She’ll be sharing what they do to find their target audience and how their approach to marketing changed as they grew. You’ll also hear from Elizabeth (Liz) Downing, director of partnerships at The Ecom Cooperative. She’ll give more actionable advice on how to build your marketing strategy using realistic goal setting and data analysis.  “It ..read more

Your small business (or idea if you haven’t started yet) is a lot more important than you think. Just ask Karen Kerrigan, the president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. She’ll be sharing a ton of fun facts about how small businesses drive innovation, help the economy, and create jobs. You’ll also hear from Kylie Jiwon Hwang, an Assistant Professor at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. She’ll give us more insights on how entrepreneurship can help marginalized individuals and how starting your own business can benefit your community ..read more

Aside from a regular paycheck, what more can you do for your employees? And can going the extra mile for them really help your business' bottom line? Listen in to hear from brothers and founders of Mr. Tortilla, Ron and Anthony Alcazar. Their approach to business was formed at an early age, while watching their parents work hard with no buy-in. And then we’ll speak with Ludmila Praslova, PhD. Professor of Industrial Organizational Psychology, and author of The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work.  "Imagine having to walk in ..read more

Dealing with audits doesn’t have to be scary as long as you’re prepared for it. Just ask Erick O. Bell, an accounting professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, who used to work at KPMG LLP in the Audit Risk Advisory Services. Erick simplifies everything you need to know about audits – even the IRS audit – so it doesn’t feel as daunting. “Most audits that are happening. They're not audits that are at odds with each other,” Erick says. “A typical audit generally is just, you've made an assertion. Can we verify that that assertion is accurate?” Learn about typical audits ..read more

Getting a Patent can be a complicated and expensive process, but it can protect your idea as you work on bringing it to market. Just ask Becca Davison, the CEO of UnbuckleMe, who got a patent early on in her small business journey. Becca explains how she came up with UnbuckleMe, why she decided to patent her idea early on, and what that process looked like for someone who was new to entrepreneurship. You’ll also hear from Colleen Chien, a professor at Berkeley Law School and the founder of the Paper Prisons and Diversity Pilots Initiatives. Colleen ..read more

Accidents happen, we make missteps, sometimes our brands are tarnished. So how do we prepare for the inevitable and mitigate impact? Indya ‘Icy’ Wright, the Founder and CEO of Artiste House, a PR firm that prioritizes diversity, inclusivity, and representation, has some answers.   According to Wright, “all we can do is try to minimize the results of what happened, rectify it, and if things go well, move forward.” In this episode you’ll hear: (02:35) How do you figure out what your story is? (05:22) How do you determine which issues to take a stance on publicly? (07:52) You nev ..read more

If there's one thing we’ve learned over the many episodes of this show, it’s that owning and operating your own business is hard. You have to overcome challenges you didn’t even know existed. Thinking of becoming an entrepreneur or you’re wondering if you should stick it out? We have Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, scholar, speaker and consultant, who studies the science of maximizing human potential, to guide us through. “I do think for every market need, for every human desire, there is an entrepreneur who is inspired and equipped to meet that need and to help for people to connect with ..read more

Money is such an integral part of your business. So when the time comes and you need to secure more, where do you start? Who do you turn to? We’ve got Iman Cotton, a loans officer with CDC Small Business Finance to guide us through it. Iman says that a good place to start is by thinking, “something that sounds too good to be true, probably is.” Learn how to best prepare you and your business for a loan. In this episode you’ll hear: (01:39) How do you find a good lender? (03:29) What documents do you need to apply to a small business loan? (04:31) Mistakes small busines ..read more