Smart Women Smart Solutions

Christina Stembel, Founder/CEO, Farmgirl Flowers – A $30 Million Business Started with $49,000 in Savings

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Christina Stembel on She's Got Moxie with Joy ChudacoffYou do not want to miss this interview.

Originally from Indiana, Christina Stembel found herself in Silicon Valley where it seemed everyone was an entrepreneur. It was while investigating why flowers are so expensive for her employer at the time, Christina started to see potential big bucks in the flower industry. No college degree but she did have 49K in savings and that’s how Farmgirl Flowers was planted firmly in the ground.

Christina shares all of her tips and transparent insights on how she grew Farmgirl Flowers from nothing to an estimated projected 30M this year. She talks about her grassroots marketing that has grown the company, why and how to get started without investor money, 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 wanted to take an industry and be either the first innovator or the first one doing it a completely different way.” – Christina Stembel

Show Notes:

  • CURIOSITY does not kill the cat; This is how Christina started out
  • The SURPRISING thing that happened when she was down to her last $411
  • Smart, Simple, Effective Tips for Grass Roots MARKETING – Truly Brilliant
  • The Two Most ESSENTIAL Skills You Must Develop if You Want to Grow and Scale
  • Bank and credit card tips for FUNDING your business
  • Why women should STOP waiting for investor money in most cases
  • How she reacted when someone told her to STUNT her Growth and “wait for the industry to catch up to her”

I wanted to test the market. I did not want to give up a decade of my life for something that was never going to work.” – Christina Stembel

Connect with Christina Stembel:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Farmgirl Flowers

I pivot all the time. We listen to our customers.” – Christina Stembel

Lisa Sugar – How a Blogging Side Hustle Turned into POPSUGAR, a Multi-Million Dollar Media Company

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Lisa Sugar on She's Got Moxie

Lisa Sugar really disliked her job but unlike so many, she did something about it. After starting a personal blog that went viral (we’re talking over 1 million followers in 1 year), Lisa Sugar knew that she was on to something. She ditched her day job and not long after, her husband did too.

Currently, POPSUGAR is now the #1 lifestyle brand for young women, and has just introduced a brand new beauty line.

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

Saying yes has led to great things.” – Lisa Sugar

Show Notes:

  • Lisa’s STRATEGY on how she went from 1 follower to 1 million in less than a year
  • WHY you should never rely on Advertising as a major source of Revenue
  • WHY now was the perfect time for POPSUGAR to launch a beauty line
  • What it was like to give birth to her first child while growing a fast-paced media empire
  • Why you should WORK HARD & PLAY NICE
  • The POPSUGAR PRINCIPLES & Why her Team relies on this
  • Why Lisa wrote her book, “Power Your Happy”
  • Why Lisa says YES when she’s making decisions
  • The valuable lesson she learned when she strayed away from her core business
  • Her BEST (quite simple) advice for women entrepreneurs
  • and much, much more

Finding people who are really living and breathing that world and bringing them in so that they can be the experts, so that they can shine and share that knowledge, is really important.” – Lisa Sugar

Connect with Lisa Sugar:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | POPSUGAR

I think it is really important to play nice both to competitors and co-workers who come and go, because you never know what’s going to happen next.” – Lisa Sugar

Alyza Bohbot – From Crop to Cup, Empowering Women Worldwide with City Girl Coffee

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Alyza Bohbot on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

My guest today, Alyza Bohbot, has some serious moxie. After taking the reins of her family business, Alyza was searching for a way to differentiate her coffee company while connecting with women. What she discovered along the way was surprising and out of that discovery, City Girl Coffee was born. Besides being seriously good coffee, City Girl’s mission is tied to women’s empowerment in the coffee trade industry where women do more than 70% of the work in the fields but rarely get any financial control.

City Girl Coffee sources as many beans as possible from women coffee farmers throughout the world and a portion of every sale goes right back to support women’s organizations worldwide.

Featured in Forbes, Delta Sky Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and Star Tribune, Alyza has been named one of Minnesota’s “Women Who Lead.” She’s also a recipient of the Minneapolis Business Journal’s 2017 “40 Under 40” Award.

Alyza is funny, real, raw and boldly powerful. You’ll love this interview!

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

I knew if I cared about this then the likelihood of other people caring about this was probably pretty significant. It really was something that I felt strongly about since conception.” – Alyza Bohbot

Show Notes:

  • The SHOCKING discovery that led Alyza to birth City Girl Coffee
  • TIPS on how to gain traction in the saturated food and beverage product industry
  • WHY Alyza GIVES BACK through her business
  • Her BEST Business action steps
  • ADVICE on cash flow in a seasonal business
  • What Alyza did instead of GIVING UP at a time when she faced a huge challenge
  • The ONE Thing She Focuses on
  • Her BEST productivity Tips

Never think that you have all the answers. Never think that you know it all. Because you never know what little tidbit of information might just be the key piece that turns your business and takes it into a completely new trajectory that you never knew existed.” – Alyza Bohbot

Connect with Alyza Bohbot:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | City Girl Coffee

“By coming out and from the get-go really making people understand that what we’re doing is much larger than just a coffee company, that was enough to get us that initial publicity and initial media attention.” – Alyza Bohbot

Kara Goldin – Trading in Her Soda Addiction For Flavored Water and Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Beverage Company Along The Way

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Kara Goldin on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Kara Goldin, Founder and CEO of Hint Water, had given birth to her third child, lost some of the baby weight, but still found herself carrying an extra 55 pounds AND she had a serious diet soda addiction (10-12 cans a day). After seeing a physician who said he could give her a “pill” to “fix her situation,” Kara declined and decided to ditch the diet soda instead. What happened after that decision is nothing short of miraculous.

Kara has always been an incredible Moxie woman. Before starting Hint, she led AOL to a $1 billion enterprise as vice president of shopping and e-commerce partnerships. Kara is also an active speaker and writer. In 2016, she launched “The Kara Network” which is a digital resource and mentoring program for established and aspiring entrepreneurs.

She has been named Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” one of Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs,” Forbes “40 Women to Watch Over 40,” EY’s “Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Northern California,” on top of many more amazing recognitions.

You’ll love this show. Kara is quite humorous and at one point I’m laughing so hard I have tears coming out of my eyes!

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

I really believed that buyers needed to catch up to where I was at prior to us really blowing this thing up. But also, the consumers really needed to catch up and there was a huge component around education that really needed to happen.” – Kara Goldin

Show Notes:

  • How befriending a store clerk at Whole Foods was a major coup
  • The TWO pieces of news she shared with her hubby that catapulted growth – literally!
  • Her BEST action steps to create a multi-million dollar fruit infused water product
  • WHY she said NO to Walmart
  • The ONE thing she had to cross off her list before giving birth to her 4th child – this segment is hilarious and gives you real insight into her determination
  • The POWER of relationships – you can hear this thread all through the interview
  • What happened when an executive from “the real thing” called her “sweetie”
  • How she stays PRODUCTIVE being a CEO of a fast-paced company and raising four children
  • And much, much more!

If we could actually get people to enjoy water again, whether it is bottled water or tap water then we could actually change health in America.” – Kara Goldin

 

Connect with Kara Goldin:

Facebook | Instagram | The Kara Network | DrinkHint

When somebody was so negative about what I was doing, I really saw it as ’here’s an opportunity. The opportunity is there. This guy is really not going to go into it anytime soon, so it really gives me a chance to develop it’.” – Kara Goldin

Danone Simpson – From The Set of Hit TV Show Dallas to Forbes, “Women in Power”

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Danone Simpson on She's Got Moxie with Joy ChudacoffI’m really excited about today’s guest, Danone Simpson, the founder and CEO of one of the 25 Fastest Growing Insurance Companies in Los Angeles.

While I was preparing for this interview, I found another cool new tidbit of information about Danone; did you ever watch the TV show, Dallas? Danone played the secretary (Kendall) on the show! When I was in college, this was my favorite time of the week. I’d grab a bag of Doritos and a Big Gulp, plop down in my bean bag chair in my dorm room and forget about tests and term papers.

Today, Danone is an extremely accomplished businesswoman, being selected by Forbes Magazine as one of their “Women in Power” in Southern California.

On today’s show, Danone shares a story about how she “begged” her way to the front of a casting call (there was a line of 250 women in front of her). She also shares her best action step to gain momentum in business, how her company became No. 1 in the “Best Place to Work 2017: Small Companies” in the Los Angeles Business Journal, how being an actress on a hit show helped her become a better business owner, how she manages cash flow, plus much more.

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

If you make room for the big rocks, the sand just filters in between.” – Danone Simpson

Show Notes:

  • How to keep your team/employees connected to your mission & vision
  • When you should consider borrowing money
  • How an acting career can prepare you to be an entrepreneur
  • Why it’s important to look forward when accessing your cash flow
  • Dealing with cash flow in a small business
  • Her greatest influencers
  • Who she listens closely to when making decisions

Ultimately, I am going to achieve my goals through others. I became a master delegator because of time management.” – Danone Simpson

Connect With Danone Simpson:

LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Montage Insurance Solutions

It’s surrounding yourself with people who are going to support you and prop you up.” – Danone Simpson

ONE Mistake Women Entrepreneurs Make When Needing to Scale

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

There’s one mistake I see happening consistently by women entrepreneurs when they are at a point where they need to scale their business. I talk about this, along with my business turning points in my 28+ years as an entrepreneur, on Eleanor Beaton’s, Fierce Feminine Leadership Podcast: The Success Podcast for Ambitious Women in Business. I also shared simple ‘power’ moves

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My Interview With Ali Brown on Glambition® Radio

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

I was recently interviewed by Ali Brown on her Glambition® Radio show and it’s just too good to not share with all of my friends! Listen in to hear me tell my story about being an entrepreneur for two decades, how I handled a family illness while managing a wildly thriving business and get my tips on cultivating a loving family while scaling a successful company. You’ll also hear how I started my first business while working full-time!

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Imagine… finally discovering someone who truly cares about your success and believes in you. Someone who has the knowledge and a step-by-step approach to help you get clear, confident and focused on your vision and dream as a woman entrepreneur. Learn More

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