Jean Brownhill – THE Matchmaker for Home Renovations

July 14, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Jean Brownhill is the Founder & CEO of Sweeten, a matchmaking service for general contractors and homeowners seeking help with their renovations. Jean got the idea for the company after her own home renovation went awry. Today, a decade later, Sweeten has expanded to ten major cities across the country. Jean opens up about the time she realized she was on to something, her best simple and sweet action steps to grow a business, and her 108 daily blessings routine.

Listen in as she explains how her Sweeten accelerator for women (S.A.W.) is promoting female contractors, how she hires, and why she hires more for attitude than aptitude these days.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

It’s helpful to remember that — not even how — that you got up the last time.” – Jean Brownhill

Show Notes:

The MOMENT she saw an opportunity (she was staring at a GAPING hole in her ceiling)
She was an “intrapreneur” long BEFORE she became an entrepreneur (it helped!)
Her Big BREAK (she had no clue & wound up in being voted “The Best of….”
Her biggest Challenge and what’s she’s learned from it
The best action steps to GROW your business
Something she’s definitely NOT a Fan of in the start-up arena
Her 108 Daily Blessings lesson she learned in Thailand
Why the “GRINDING” mentality doesn’t work
How to get up after being KNOCKED down
And so much more….

I was in the industry. How could it be this tough for me?” – Jean Brownhill

Connect with Jean Brownhill:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Sweeten

One of the things we’ve done really well is just continue to tell success stories.” – Jean Brownhill

Amber Duncan – Serial Entrepreneur & CEO of Shop Jackie

June 9, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Both Amber and her husband were mortgage brokers when the bottom dropped out of the real estate market. Overnight, she found herself pregnant with her fifth child and standing in line for WIC government benefits to maintain food and nutrition for her family.

Fast forward to today, Amber Duncan now owns 17 companies including a debt consolidation company, Reduce My Debts, two Gigi’s Cupcakes franchises and Shop Jackie, a high-end personal shopping experience for women, delivered right to your front door.

In this episode, Jackie explains how you can connect with a customer and why it’s the most important aspect of being successful in business. She also reveals some of her best leadership tips and shares why you should never wait for perfection.

Listen in to this episode to find out how to grow a new business, ways to increase your business’s visibility, and how Shop Jackie works.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

Everything that I’ve done has been born out of failure.” – Amber Duncan

Show Notes:

How Shop Jackie was started out of Amber’s FRUSTRATION
Where the name JACKIE came from – love this story & reminds me of my Mom!
How Amber is DISRUPTING the online personal styling industry making it BOTH scalable & personal
Amber went from college dropout to owning 17 businesses
Simple strategies on how Amber went from “broke, eating Mac n’ Cheese every day” to wildly successful
Her Go-To Action Step that she takes every day to keep her ALIGNED as a wife, mother to five and entrepreneur
Her Superpower
Her ADVICE on what you need to know when you get started – PURE GOLD and it’s just ONE Word.

I don’t get stuck, I turn quickly.” – Amber Duncan

Connect with Amber Duncan:

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Reduce My Debts| Shop Jackie

Investing in yourself is the best investment you can make.” – Amber Duncan

Linda Rose – Get Acquired for Millions!

March 10, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

She’s the go-to-gal when it comes to helping companies get acquired and now she’s back with a NEW book to help you simply and easily understand how to get your business ready to be acquired!

Serial entrepreneur Linda Rose joined me on the podcast to talk about her NEW book, Get Acquired for Millions: A Roadmap for Technology Service Providers to Maximize Company Value.

Linda is a big proponent of listening to your clients before anyone else and running a company to sell rather than running a company to grow. She urges other entrepreneurs to think bigger and find mentors that can help them broaden their mindset.

On today’s show, Linda shares how CEOs can get away for up to a month without hearing from their team, two things she wishes she knew before she became an entrepreneur, and the value of organization intellectual property. She explains the Banana Concept, which book has impacted her life, and where she finds her joy.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

My joy is the bottom line.” – Linda Rose

Show Notes:

Why your clients are more important than anyone else – LISTEN!
Her solo journey on the Pacific Crest Trail and how this experience changed her entrepreneurial journey (she hiked for 500 miles ALONE!)
The different types of revenue and the ones you should be keeping your eye on
The difference between running a company to GROW and running a company to SELL
Details on completing four Big Acquisitions During COVID
The PERFECT Time to Sell your Business
A Step-by-Step plan for you to leave your business for a MONTH without any communication with your Team (not even a single TEXT)
What “single points of FAILURE” are and how to remove this obstacle in your business
The Banana CONCEPT – Brilliant!
The Metric that is more VALUABLE than SALES
The two things Linda Rose wishes she knew before she became an entrepreneur
How Linda Sets Goals – Pure GOLD!
The value of organization intellectual property
Two books that have impacted Linda’s life
Where Linda finds her joy
And much, much more

You have to stop thinking like an owner and start thinking like a buyer.” – Linda Rose

Connect with Linda Rose:

LinkedIn | Twitter | RoseBiz

It can fetch value if you identify it, package it, and give it a name.” – Linda Rose

Alli Webb & Meredith Quill – Hearts Be Still. Meet Becket & Quill Jewelry

March 3, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

She mastered the market when it comes to blowouts & massage! Now she’s back with a new jewelry line and partner in crime!

Serial entrepreneur, Alli Webb (co-founder of Drybar, co-founder of Squeeze) and Meredith Quill joined me on the show to talk about their new venture, Becket + Quill jewelry.

Alli has always looked for “affordable luxury” in business ventures and Becket + Quill fit the bill. Becket + Quill focuses on jewelry that’s “high end, not high spend.”

On today’s show, Alli talks about how she met Meredith and why she decided to get into the jewelry business. Meredith tell us about the moment she fell in love with jewelry for the first time and what it’s like to have a business partner.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

The beauty of this business is that you can be wearing things that look very expensive, but really aren’t.” – Alli Webb

Show Notes:

Alli shares Why Jewelry and Why Now?
The #1 ingredient you MUST have to gain a sustainable, LOYAL following
What Alli looks for when evaluating a business opportunity
Details on their partnership and why opposites attract
The moment Meredith discovered that Jewelry was her true passion
Alli shares how a direct-to-consumer brand is so different from brick & mortar and the lessons she’s learning
How they both handle the “crawl into the fetal position, I’m never coming out” moments as a woman entrepreneur
Where they both Find Their Joy
Alli’s truth-telling on what it really takes to become a successful brand
And much, much more

Listening and being open to other ideas is important.” – Meredith Quill

Connect with Alli Webb & Meredith Quill:

Instagram | Becket + Quill

We have very different skillsets and we’re both very aware of that.” – Alli Webb

Jesse Draper Unplugged – Getting Real About What it Takes to Succeed With The CEO & Founder of Halogen Ventures

February 24, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Jesse Draper is back for an encore! She was on the podcast back in 2018 and this time I had the pleasure of sharing her wisdom with the members of my private, online membership community, ALIGN online. It was SO good. I’m calling it, “Jesse Draper Unplugged.” She’s just raised $21M to invest in the next generation of female-founded businesses and on this episode, she takes a deep dive with us!

Jesse started her career in the entertainment industry and along the way discovered she had a “superpower” or maybe it was “x-ray vision” when it comes to knowing what it takes to be a winning idea in business. She started focusing on building an early stage venture capital fund focused on female-founded consumer technologies, which led to the creation of Halogen Ventures.

Jesse talks how she found her footing in the venture capital world, her best tips on pitching ideas to investors, the importance of insane optimism, and why you should always ask for feedback.

If you’re looking for investors or bootstrapping, this episode is for you.

You can be what you can see.” – Jesse Draper

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

For women, we are taught to give away money before we are taught to take risk with our money and that’s a problem.” – Jesse Draper

Show Notes:

How Jesse went from the entertainment industry to the venture capital world
Everyone suffers from Imposter Syndrome and why you need to just keep going
Her Insider “SECRETS” on pitching investors – PURE GOLD!
Why Jesse decided to focus on female-founders and her perspective on female-founder disruptors
3 Must-Haves she looks for before giving the Green Light
The BIGGEST challenge for female founders (and her expert advice on how to overcome it)
Why asking for FEEDBACK is key
The Type of LEADER you have to become to succeed – BRILLIANT
The Essential ingredient to every business (you may be surprised!)

Bootstrap as long as you can.” – Jesse Draper

Connect with Jesse Draper:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Halogen Ventures

You can’t do anything alone.” – Jesse Draper

Melissa Vitelli – From Fashion Photographer to Co-founder & CEO of Jar Goods

February 17, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

My guest, Melissa Vitelli, had a successful career in fashion photography but she found her herself being drawn to the food industry through her hobby of vegetable gardening. She joined together with her sister-in-law Lauren and Jar Goods was born. They initially found success at Farmer’s Markets and this led them directly into the arms of Whole Foods.

On today’s show, Melissa talks about how she and her sister-in-law decided to take her father-in-law’s famous tomato sauce recipe and turn it into a thriving business. She shares how she brought her small side business into grocery stores across the country, some of her most pivotal moments as an entrepreneur, how she’s dealt with the challenges of entrepreneurship and more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

People who need quick foods, should not be relegated to low quality.” – Melissa Vitelli

Show Notes:

What it was like to move from Fashion photography to the FOOD industry
How their decision to go with mom-and-pop stores first before hitting the Big Guns of Whole Foods and AMAZON paid off
Why beginning in FARMERS MARKETS was their Golden Ticket
WHEN she realized she was on to something with her business
The moment she decided to add more flavors to the mix – she shares it’s the key to creating a BRAND Block
She’s learned it’s all about being CONSUMER CENTRIC
Her experience at the CHOBANI Food Incubator
Why Jar Goods decided to try a subscription model
Her perspective on why you shouldn’t listen to other people’s ADVICE
Where she Finds her Joy
And much, much morel

In order to do it, it doesn’t matter what industry, you have to be very risk tolerant.” – Melissa Vitelli

Connect with Melissa Vitelli:

Facebook | Instagram | Jar Goods

The creative juices are not going to flow if you force them.” – Melissa Vitelli

Emily Groden – How Watching a Netflix Food Show Led This Attorney Away From The Courtroom & Into The Kitchen

January 20, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

My guest today, Emily Groden, Founder & CEO of Evergreen, typically worked late at her law office in Chicago most nights, however, one evening she found herself at home watching a food show on Netflix.

What happened next changed the entire course of her career…and it involved sending a “cold” email to someone.

Fast forward to today, Evergreen, launched in early March 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, and is now in more than 49 Whole Foods locations in the Midwest, as well as many other Midwest stores.

On today’s show, Emily tells us all about her emotional journey of being in a start-up, why she started to distrust processed food, and how the show Chef’s Table changed her life. She talks about the importance of endurance, how her professional swimming background helped her in her life, and much more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

I feel really lucky to have worked in a start-up environment prior to starting Evergreen myself.” – Emily Groden

Show Notes:

The story of how a late night “COLD” email changed her career trajectory
Why you should pay attention to CLUES (she had them along the way but ignored them)
The QUESTION you need to ask yourself before every business move
The story of the LAUNCH moment (a paper bag, paper plates, utensils and her toaster)
The QUICK decision she made when ALL Manufacturers said “NO”
Simple, NO-COST Tips on gaining Brand Awareness in a Start-up
How she gets through the really tough days – she shares the “Emotional Journey U”
Her Best ADVICE on just getting started (it involves a homemade jam story)

Building a start-up business is not a sprint, is a marathon.” – Emily Groden

Connect with Emily Groden:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Evergreen

Define your principles on day one and then stick to them.” – Emily Groden

Amy Luftig Viste – A Woman’s Perspective on Co-Owning a Winery in Los Angeles

January 13, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Amy Luftig is the co-owner of Angeleno Wine Company in Los Angeles. She began her career in public health, however, after moving west to Los Angeles and volunteering to help a winemaker during a “harvest” she found “love at first sight” (or in this case love at first harvest).

Amy fell head over heels with the day-to-day routine in the vineyard and decided that she should follow her dream. She started with an idea, a passion for vino and along with her partner, turned it into a business.

On today’s episode of She’s Got Moxie, Amy tells us all about her transformative internship experience, the wine history of California, and how she developed her knowledge in wine. She also talks about her journey to co-own the company, her perspective on running a successful Kickstarter campaign and her best action steps to get visibility, and more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

One of the things that you have to learn as a winemaker is to trust your instincts.” – Amy Luftig Viste

Show Notes:

The Clarifying QUESTION that changed everything for Amy (it is a question that EVERYONE should ask themselves)
She volunteered to work for free and through the process found her “true calling”
A great STORY on how she secured FUNDING for Angeleno Wine (it involves a ghost and pouring a bottle of wine on a grave!)
She takes you on her step-by-step grass roots journey – GEMS!
How they decided on their LOGO that sits squarely in the center of every bottle
The “Secret Sauce” to a Super Successful Kickstarter Campaign
What it is like to be one of the few women in a male dominated industry
The mentality Amy adopts to show up for her business each day
Her perspective on how to make a Business Partnership work
And So much more!

We literally started this with no money in our pocket.” – Amy Luftig Viste

Connect with Amy Luftig Viste:

Facebook | Instagram | Angeleno Wine Co.

The most important thing is to trust your business partner with your life.” – Amy Luftig Viste

2021 Will Favor Female Entrepreneurs ALIGNED in Their Power

January 6, 2021 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

It’s a fresh, New Year. I’m both eager and enthusiastic about all the possibilities.

Are you looking for the support of other established women entrepreneurs? Women that are positive, forward thinking, resilient & obsessively optimistic? We’ve got you covered in my private online membership community, ALIGN online.

We’re gearing up for an exciting 2021 and we’d love to have you join us for weekly Zoom gatherings, private forum to network & connect, TOP expert industry leader interviews where you can ask your most pressing questions.

https://AlignOnlineWithJoy.com

Listen in to my short 5-minute video below on more good news for women from the Wall Street Journal:

We’re taking applications now so if you’d like to learn more and jump on board, contact Kathy@SmartWomenSolutions.com or call/text 310-266-0416.

**Read all about ALIGN online:**

https://AlignOnlineWithJoy.com

Katie Chin – From Former Senior VP at Fox to Celebrity Chef, Caterer, and Cookbook Author

December 9, 2020 | By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

It all started with a wok, a roll and a dream…

She’s shared her Asian culinary delights on the Today Show, at the White House, Iron Chef, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and more.

My guest today, Katie Chin, is a celebrity Chef, caterer, cookbook author and food blogger. She is the author of the award-winning bestseller Everyday Thai Cooking and her latest cookbook, Everyday Chinese Cookbook: 101 Delicious Recipes from My Mother’s Kitchen. Katie is an amazing woman, as much as she is an amazing chef.

Katie grew up working in the kitchens of her mother, Leeann Chin’s restaurants in Minneapolis, but she decided to pursue a career in the marketing industry for film and television in Hollywood. With time, she realized her real passion was not in Hollywood, but in her culinary roots.

Katie shares the incredible story of her mother’s road to entrepreneurship as a Chinese immigrant to the United States. Though Katie was her daughter, Leeann Chin was the toughest boss Katie ever had. Katie talks about her own entrepreneurial journey, how she created a mother daughter-cooking brand, her best action steps to grow her business, how she made a name for herself on her own after her mom passed away, and more.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

When a door closes, climb to the window.” – Katie Chin

Show Notes:

What it was like to own a business with her Mom
The #1 Essential to getting lots of media exposure – LOVE this Gem. Anyone can do it!
Her BIGGEST obstacle in business
The danger of getting too much advice from others
The moment she knew it was time to leave Hollywood to go back to her culinary roots
Where she places her Trust
How Katie found her own entrepreneurial path after her mother passed away
Katie’s best action steps to growing her business
Her biggest challenges so far as a woman entrepreneur
How Katie has pivoted her business during the pandemic – GENIUS!
Her Passion for supporting women entrepreneurs really comes through

You should never dream harder than you work.” – Katie Chin

Connect with Katie Chin:

Facebook | Twitter | Chef Katie Chin

If you work really hard and believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything.” – Katie Chin

Show Notes:

Connect with Jean Brownhill:

Show Notes:

Connect with Amber Duncan:

Show Notes:

Connect with Linda Rose:

Show Notes:

Connect with Alli Webb & Meredith Quill:

Show Notes:

Connect with Jesse Draper:

Show Notes:

Connect with Melissa Vitelli:

Show Notes:

Connect with Emily Groden:

Show Notes:

Connect with Amy Luftig Viste:

Read all about ALIGN online:

Show Notes:

Connect with Katie Chin:

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