Smart Women Smart Solutions

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

| 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

Amanda Tress – Founder/CEO of The FASTer Way to Fat Loss – From 11 Clients to Now Serving 110K Clients in Just 3.5 Years

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Amanda Tress on She's Got Moxie with Joy ChudacoffI’m over the moon to share my guest, Amanda Tress, with you today.

Amanda is the Founder & CEO of The FASTer Way to Fat Loss –the premier virtual intermittent fasting fitness and nutrition program. She teaches her clients how to burn fat and live a truly healthy lifestyle through intermittent fasting, carb cycling, macro tracking, whole food nutrition, and strategic workouts.

Amanda started The FASTer Way just 3.5 years ago with 11 people, and now the program has more than 110,000 clients who are thriving!

On today’s show, Amanda talks all about how she has grown and scaled her business. She gets very transparent with me about what her journey has been like and the #1 skill entrepreneurs MUST possess to succeed, 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 had 11 people in my first round of the FASTer way, they had incredible results and I immediately turned around and said ‘hey listen, I want to get this program into more households – will you help me?’.” – Amanda Tress

Show Notes:

  • Amanda’s simple “secret” to creating a brand that’s truly becoming a movement
  • How a visit to Lexington, Kentucky to see 20 women (which turned into 150 women) opened her eyes wide
  • How Amanda gained influencers and developed her marketing technique
  • Why “micro-influencers” are the key to early growth
  • Amanda could have 70,000 certified coaches and instead has 1700 – why she chooses to keep it small
  • Amanda’s very FIRST Steps to create a multi-million dollar brand in just 3.5 years
  • Amanda’s strategies to getting through the “dark, painful” days
  • How Amanda has GROWN and SCALED her business
  • The #1 Attribute a candidate must have to be considered for a spot on the FASTer Way Team
  • Why Amanda has decided NOT to raise money for the company
  • The #1 skill entrepreneurs MUST possess to succeed
  • Amanda’s tips on how to juggle raising a family (she has three children under the age of 10) while running a company experiencing rocket-ship growth
  • What Amanda has “concerns” about in the world of female entrepreneurship right now
  • And much, much more!

The best professional development out there is to be a business owner.” – Amanda Tress

Connect with Amanda Tress:

Facebook | Instagram | FASTer Way to Fat Loss

If you can develop interested in middle-America with little to no marketing then you must have a good product.” – Amanda Tress

Julie Deane – She Took 600 Pounds and Turned It Into a Company Valued at 40 Million Pounds Making Satchels

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Julie Deane on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

I’m so excited to share this humorous, transparent, Encore Interview with Julie Deane, Founder/CEO of Cambridge Satchel. If you haven’t heard her past interviews on my podcast, I invite you to go back and listen because they are a few of the most popular episodes we’ve ever done!

We’re bringing Julie Deane back on the show today because her company, Cambridge Satchel, has had tremendous growth over the past 18 months, but not without challenges and I needed to pick her brain on how she did it.

On today’s show, Julie talks about what it really means to scale a business, when you should let go, and how to take the reins of your company back if things stray from your vision, and much more.

 

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

It was the fact that we did everything differently from the big corporates around us, and that’s why they couldn’t compete with us. Because they never knew where we were going to come from next.” – Julie Deane

Show Notes:

  • WHY she needed to start a business in the first place – she had a real need
  • She had 600 pounds to invest; she needed 24,000 pounds – in 8 weeks. Yikes!
  • The FIRST step she took – so simple you’ll be shocked
  • The ONE THING to keep with you forever as an entrepreneur
  • The WORST thing that can happen to an entrepreneur
  • How she reclaimed the culture that made Cambridge Satchel an overnight success
  • The GRASSROOTS marketing that Cambridge Satchel has developed in the past 18 months
  • Julie’s SILVER BULLETS for getting through the hard days
  • And much, much more

It is a very strange smoke and mirrors kind of world that was not for us.” – Julie Deane

Connect with Julie Deane:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Cambridge Satchel

I’m not going to let myself feel like a failure because what this company was set to do was to send my kids to a great school. And they have gone to a great school, so it did that.” – Julie Deane

Carrie Callahan – Creating Trust Through Public Relations in The Age of Fake News

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Carrie Callahan on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

In the age of “fake news,” how do we know what to believe anymore?

My guest today, Carrie Callahan, is the public relations ‘prowess’ known for executing and developing targeted communication programs for national and regional brands.

For the past 18 years, Carrie, President of Nash Callahan Communications, has worked in PR with brands like Tiffany, Mars, NorthStar Moving Company, and more, to build their brands and industry leadership.

If you like what you hear today, you’ll love my Align Retreat, because Carrie will be there sharing more about how to have exceptional PR in your business.

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

The everyday PR is all about telling your truth as a business leader, and the truth of your business and your products and your services.” – Carrie Callahan

Show Notes:

  • What Public Relations means in Today’s market
  • The RIGHT questions to ask to create The BEST MARKETING plan
  • Why it’s essential to keep the message CONSISTENT
  • How to build the know, like, and trust factor
  • Why the PRESS RELEASE is NOT Dead
  • How PR has changed in the last few years and what you need to know to use it to your benefit
  • The TRUTH about Public Relations and Social Media

Everything across the board should be something that you want someone to say when you walk out of your store or something you want them to say after you provided them with your services.” – Carrie Callahan

Links Mentioned:

There’s a lot of various ways to show the trust factor and for people to trust you as a company, but one of the main ways, I think, is to show your heart.” – Carrie Callahan

Sarah Naseer – Creating Good Products That Help Feed The World

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

They’ve provided meals to over 100M (yep, you read that right) children in 63 countries. How? Wait for it…selling handbags.

Today’s podcast is about entrepreneurship, but it’s also a PSA. My guest, Sarah Naseer, joins us to talk about FEED, a socially conscious company working every day to fight the war against hunger in a tangible way.

Sarah, President of FEED, oversees business development and growth strategies related to product marketing and merchandising. You’ll love what she has to say about how FEED has built an amazing company while changing the world!

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

Do your best to really push through whatever decision you decided to go with.” – Sarah Naseer

Show Notes:

  • WHY the company chose BAGS instead of shoes, clothing or jewelry
  • The GENIUS decision to put a Number on every bag and what the number means
  • What the proceeds from ONE BAG can do for a child
  • How Focusing on Collaborations and Partnerships early on were the BIGGEST & BEST Key Strategies
  • Why COMMUNITY is an essential ingredient in the mission of any business today
  • Why being both Focused & Nimble are core to their everyday teamwork
  • Managing CASH FLOW while still giving back

Women owe it to themselves to go into every meeting, every opportunity, every pitch, with confidence, and you don’t need to apologize for it.” – Sarah Naseer

Connect with Sarah Naseer:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | FEED Projects

You are your best advocate.” – Sarah Naseer

Ianthe Mauro – From SNL to Telling Stories Through Fragrance as the Founder & CEO of Objects With Purpose Candles

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Ianthe Mauro on She's got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Ladies, you do not want to miss this interview. It’s real, raw and illuminating : -).

She was dealing with a serious health challenge combined with going through a divorce. Ianthe Mauro, CEO & Founder of Objects With Purpose Candles found that lighting a candle was the one action step she could take every day to soothe her soul.

But an interesting thing occurred during this time. Ianthe soon found out that the ingredients used to manufacture many candles weren’t good for her. So she did what most entrepreneurial women do; she saw a problem and she set out to solve it. It’s been over a decade now and the results have been amazing.

Ianthe’s candles have appeared in the Oscar Swag bag, The Hollywood Medium, The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda, Dr. Oz, Let’s Make a Deal and The Price Is Right. Her candles have become the “go to” gift in Hollywood.

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

I’m allowing myself to be ok just focusing on a few things in my business rather than trying to do everything at once.” – Ianthe Mauro

Show Notes:

  • How going through both an illness and a divorce put her on a path to creating her own eco-friendly luxury candle.
  • How she made her very FIRST candle.
  • Her BEST Action Steps to be featured in major media and have her candles in over 200 stores.
  • The tried and true marketing method that got her noticed in Hollywood.
  • WHY taking imperfect Action is Key to Growth.
  • How she became known as the “scent expert.”
  • How she continues to overcome her Biggest Business CHALLENGE.
  • The MOMENT she almost gave up (this is vulnerable, transparent and involves $24 and “fancy glass” milk bottles.)
  • Her Best PRODUCTIVITY TIPS.
  • AND MUCH, MUCH MORE.

‘No’ is extremely powerful.” – Ianthe Mauro

Connect with Ianthe Mauro:

Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Objects With Purpose

Fragrance is an opportunity for me to tell the story in a product that is outside of me.” – Ianthe Mauro

Dr. Amy Kramer – She Saw a Great Opportunity After Her Own Dog Had Surgery and Beach Animal Rehabilitation Was Born (BARC)

| By Freedom Leave a Comment

According to pet care industry research in 2016, health care services for pets was nearly $16 billion dollars and growing.

After her dog had surgery, Dr. Amy Kramer, a physical therapist, saw that what she does with her patients every day would be a great rehab solution for her dog. The physical therapy worked and Amy couldn’t stop thinking about all the vets performing surgery across LA and how those dogs would need her physical therapy treatment. This lead Dr. Kramer to open the doors to Beach Animal Rehabilitation Center (BARC) which works to incorporate rehabilitation techniques so that pets can get well again.

On today’s show, we’ll talk about how Dr. Kramer got started in her now very successful business, her BEST tips for growth, how she deals with employees, her #1 productivity tip, what she thinks about the NBA finals, and more. 

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

I really strive to make sure that my employees are happy and I ask all the time, ‘what can I do to make your job easier for you?’.” – Dr. Amy Kramer

Show Notes:

  • The moment Dr. Kramer realized she was on to something BIG
  • Her BEST marketing techniques that contributed to BARC’s success
  • Her best ACTION Steps – the power of the “before & after”
  • Simple, down-to-earth marketing tips that paid huge dividends!
  • Her Biggest Challenge
  • The ONE ingredient every entrepreneur needs to have on board to hit their highest productivity levels
  • Dr. Kramer describes a time when she really wanted to give up and what she did instead of giving up!
  • The vision Dr. Kramer kept in mind when money was tight
  • The counter-intuitive productivity tip that makes ALL the difference
  • What Dr. Kramer REALLY thinks about the NBA finals
  • Much, much more

If I don’t get good sleep, no matter what those things are that are going on in my head, I’m not going to do those things well if I’m not well rested.” – Dr. Amy Kramer

Connect with Dr. Amy Kramer:

Facebook | Instagram | Beach Animal Rehabilitation Center

Just don’t be afraid to ask for help, because it is out there.” – Dr. Amy Kramer

Gail Schenbaum – How a Phone Call in The Middle of The Night Led Her to Create The Umergency App For College Students and Their Parents

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Gail Schenbaum on She;s Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

“Mom it’s me. I’m calling from the ambulance. I’m fine. But it’s really bad.”

After Gail Schenbaum took a frightening phone call in the middle of the night from her daughter who was in college several thousand miles away, she knew she had to use her entrepreneurial spirit to do something.

Previously an award-winning producer for companies like Warner Brothers, Columbia, Universal, Walt Disney, and Paramount, Gail has always been an incredible creator who sees problems as opportunities.

With that, Gail took her frightening situation and committed to founding the Umergency app- the all-in-one emergency health and safety solution for millions of college students and their families.

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

Focus on the solution, not the problem. When you start thinking creatively you begin to see other possibilities, and that may lead you to create something even better than you have right now.” – Gail Schenbaum

Show Notes:

  • HOW a phone call in the middle of the night charged her up to create the UMERGENCY App
  • Her BEST Action Steps to creating a powerful, helpful App
  • Her AHA moment
  • The SMART SHIFT she makes when feeling overwhelmed
  • Her Biggest Challenge
  • Her GENIUS Productivity Tip, “Beat the Clock.” This is Pure Gold
  • How Gail uses HUMOR to market her App
  • Her Superpower
  • The valuable lesson she learned from her father
  • And much much more

Find a support system. Don’t go it alone. Because when the chips are down, you really need support from those who believe in you and who will help you see it through with some love and kindness.” – Gail Schenbaum

Connect with Gail Schenbaum:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Umergency

You can’t delegate unless you feel comfortable and you know you’ve got the right people.” – Gail Schenbaum

Sound Advice For Women Business Owners and More About My Align Retreat 2017

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

http://AlignRetreat.com

Today, when I was out taking my morning walk, my mind wandered to a Women’s Business luncheon I recently attended where I overheard someone giving another businesswoman advice about a subject she was obviously not qualified to give. The advice she was sharing was actually scary. I thought, “Geez, I sure hope this woman doesn’t do what she’s being advised to do.”

I then thought, while I really wanted to, it was not my place to save either of these women but I wanted to make sure I share some very important information I learned from my own experiences, with the businesswomen I can and do support.

For some sound advice, listen to my four minute audio:


When I think back to ALL the BIG leaps in success & income I’ve had over the years, I realize that a combination of two important things were present:

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[The Honey Chronicles] Canines & Career …

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Honey-JoyThis morning as I was out walking our new Australian Mini-Labradoodle puppy, Honey, in the light drizzle, I was struck by the similarities of owning a dog and running a business. I was dragging my feet on walking Honey. I’m tired and my hubby is out of town which means I’m 100% in charge of everything. With two teenagers, a thriving business and a new puppy thrown into the mix (yawn), there are days when I wake up wondering where I’ll find the energy to get it all done. Sound familiar?

Watching the light drizzle and gazing at the gray skies outside, all I really wanted to do after carpool was crawl into bed and take a nap. But I didn’t.

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