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Smart Women Smart Solutions

With Joy Chudacoff, Leading Expert on Business Success and Lifestyle Design For Women

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

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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

Beata Kirr – A Wake Up Call For Women About Wealth Building

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Beata Kirr on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

In full disclosure, I met my guest Beata Kirr at a presentation that I was convinced was going to be fairly boring. I actually thought it was going to give me thirty minutes to scan my email feed and swipe right to delete : -). Guess what? I was wrong. Once I heard Beata share some of the most recent research on women and money, I put my phone away and grabbed a pen and paper.

Beata Kirr is the National Managing Director in the Alliance Bernstein Chicago office. She was appointed Head of Private Client Core Asset Strategies of Bernstein in 2017. Beata is a member of Bernstein’s Private Client Investment Policy Group, which oversees strategic asset allocation for high-net-worth, nonprofit and family clients.

Beata has provided market commentary for the Chicago Tribune, WGN News, NPR and the Wall Street Journal. She is passionate about helping women investors succeed, and she speaks frequently to women’s groups nationally. Beata is also the host of “Bernstein Insights” Women & Wealth podcast series.

On today’s show, Beata dives into some surprising stats, how we as women can manage our wealth better, and more.

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

It is undeniable that women are a force to be reckoned with in terms of the financial decision-making power that they have.” – Beata Kirr

Show Notes:

  • The surprising facts about women creating wealth today – this is GREAT news!
  • Women continually say they’re not good with numbers but that’s not what the research shows
  • The THREE Critical numbers you need to know NOW
  • Startling facts about Women and WHY it’s essential that Women Need their Money to last longer
  • How to identify and rectify ACCIDENTAL SPENDING
  • You know your height & weight but do you know how much you are spending?
  • The 5 things women need to know about CREATING WEALTH
  • Easy to use Budget App suggestions to easily get going
  • Important information to consider when it comes to INSURANCE
  • What you can do today to get started on your path to wealth management – easy, doable steps to take Today
  • Why you need to keep your records up to date and FRESH. Beata shares a bit of a horror story here and I had a story too!

95% of women are going to be making the financial decisions for their households at some point in their lives – 95%!” – Beata Kirr

Connect with Beata:

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Alliance Bernstein Women &Wealth

Next time you say ‘I’m going to do spring cleaning’ or hire someone to clean your windows, think about an audit of your assets at the same time.” – Beata Kirr

Nora Plesent – Creating a Market for Women in the Legal Field Seeking Creative and Flexible Career Options

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Nora Plesent on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

When my guest today, Nora Plesent, was getting ready to take her maternity leave with her first child, a co-worker in the law firm commented, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was just a temporary lawyer we could hire?” Nora saw a problem and went out to create a SOLUTION.

Nora, along with her co-founders went on to create Lexolution – a company that provides contract legal services to Law Firms. What started out in a basement in Scarsdale, New York, has turned into offices across the country including Lexolution New York, Washington D.C., Richmond, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Today, Nora gives a very authentic interview about the process of growing her business while maintaining quality service, the hardest years when she first moved to LA and what she did to get through it, and the KEY ingredient to guaranteed growth if you want to expand into new cities.

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

We’ve done things slowly, in a sense, but we have grown. And we have done it in a way where we have really never had to worry about the management of the office itself.” – Nora Plesent

Show Notes:

  • How Nora turned a question from a co-worker into the focus of a company
  • The #1 ingredient you MUST Have when planning to expand to new cities
  • Why it has been difficult to manage QUALITY over QUANTITY
  • How Nora dealt with opening a brand-new market when she first moved to LA
  • Nora’s Best ADVICE for women on the entrepreneurial journey
  • How meditation has changed Nora’s life and her approach to business
  • Nora’s Brand-New Venture for women

We were all about quality, quality, quality. We had the boutique quality people out there and as other companies came into the market it was all about quantity.” – Nora Plesent

Connect with Nora Plesent:

Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Lexolution

When I started meditating, I almost couldn’t even sit for five minutes because my life had been about moving, shaking, creating, doing.” – Nora Plesent

An opportunity of a lifetime. Nearly LOST.

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Recently, someone I care deeply about, nearly missed an opportunity that COULD affect their potential future. You know what the error was? Lack of follow-up. Follow-up is something that anyone can do. It doesn’t matter how much (or how little) education you have, it doesn’t discriminate, and it levels the playing field.

Here’s another (deeper) reason I think people don’t follow-up: Fear of failure, Fear of the word No. “If I don’t follow-up, I’ll be spared the feeling of rejection.”

You didn’t start your business solely to make a lot of money. I know this because 100% of the women I work with and host on my podcast comment that it’s never about the money—it’s about solving a problem or filling an unmet need. Your highest contribution, in part, is bringing your creative ideas to the world.

I have never achieved Big LEAPS in my business from social media or just sitting at my desk staring into my laptop. The big income leaps (think 25% – 50%) have been born out of networking and cultivating collaborative relationships with people who embrace your genius, your highest contribution.

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Amy Nelson – CEO/Founder, The Riveter, Coworking Spaces Built By Women for Everyone

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Amy Nelson on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Amy Nelson up and left her corporate job (while pregnant with her THIRD daughter) for the entrepreneurial life and came up with the idea for The Riveter, a rapidly growing co-working space company with design and membership focused on women, but open to everyone.

Amy launched The Riveter in 2017 and the brand is experiencing rapid fire growth with locations popping up almost every day in metropolitan cities across the US. The Riveter’s growth has outpaced even WeWork’s first years and The Riveter recently closed a $15 million Series A Funding Round led by Alpha Edison.

You’ll absolutely love Amy’s energy and enthusiasm as she dives into how she transitioned from a successful career in law (including work with President Obama’s National Finance Committee and President Carter’s, The Carter Center) to launching The Riveter, how being a mom has made her a BETTER entrepreneur, her best productivity tips and more.

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

What I tend to do is really lean into the fact that I am a mother, rather than lean out of it.” – Amy Nelson

Show Notes:

  • Why she left a cozy corporate job while pregnant with her third daughter to launch The Riveter
  • How becoming a Mom changed her viewpoint on women & career opportunities
  • The FIRST Step she took to get started after she came up with the idea for The Riveter
  • The Event that PUSHED her to take the FINAL Leap
  • Why coworking spaces are becoming wildly popular
  • The SMARTEST MOVE Amy made when starting The Riveter (it’s not what you think I promise you)
  • WHY Collaboration is the ‘secret sauce’ to her early success
  • Her BIGGEST Challenge ( this is pure Gold)
  • What she did when someone advised her to HIDE HER PREGNANCY while fundraising
  • Why ASKING For Help is a muscle more women need to flex
  • How she manages her day while being CEO of a fast-paced growth company and raising soon-to-be four daughters
  • Her Go-To Apps to stay sane
  • What she did instead of giving up when it all seemed like too much
  • The advice she hears about being in startup mode that she DOES NOT agree with
  • And much much more

I think the more we have women building companies to make women’s lives better, the better our lives will be. And that is super exciting!” – Amy Nelson

Connect with Amy Nelson:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | The Riveter | LinkedIn

The hardest thing is to just keep going at every turn when it gets hard, when it feels impossible, when people tell you that you can’t. And so much of it is just continuing to walk forward.” – Amy Nelson

Rosie O’Neill – How Sugarfina Has Achieved Explosive Growth Over The Past 450 Days

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Rosie O'Neill on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

**Rosie O’Neill is the FIRST in a series of ENCORE podcast interviews we will be conducting over the next few months. We’ve been closely watching the growth of some of the women we’ve had on the show before and we’re inviting back guests who are having explosive growth and are willing to share the journey with you.

Rosie O’Neill, is an entrepreneur with a major sweet tooth for business. I had Rosie on ‘She’s Got Moxie’ back on November 15, 2017, and that episode is still today one of our most popular. Since my last interview with Rosie, (about 450 days ago), Sugarfina has grown tremendously. Today, she shares with us what business has been like and how the company has exploded with growth so quickly.

In July 2012, along with her co-founder and fiancé (now hubby) Josh Resnick, Rosie launched Sugarfina, a luxury candy boutique for grown-ups featuring the finest confections from artisan candy makers around the world. Best known for Champagne and Rosé-infused gummy bears, Sugarfina has been named one of the “World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” and “World’s 10 Most Innovative Retailers” by Fast Company as it disrupts the $200B confections industry. Sugarfina has also made the list of the “World’s Most Beautiful Candy Shops” by Architectural Digest.

 

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

I certainly have those days where I start to go into the negative self-talk, but I’m trying to be much better about catching it and turning it around. And basically, the same advice that I would give to a female entrepreneur friend, I try to give that to myself. Sometimes we’re harder on ourselves than we would be to a friend.” – Rosie O’Neill

Show Notes:

  • What’s happened in the last 450 days (it’s quite Remarkable)
  • The strategy they’ve used to grow beyond physical locations to get into the hands of their target consumer
  • The difference between hiring for the “RIGHT NOW” versus Hiring for Future Growth (Brilliant!)
  • Her Biggest Challenge (“it’s always the same”)
  • DAILY rituals have contributed to her success as a CEO and Co-Founder
  • How she handles the really tough “I’m not sure if I can go on” days
  • Her quick decision-making process
  • The things she’s outsourced in her life (this was a humorous moment for sure!)
  • Her BEST Advice for women entrepreneurs who are in the sweet spot of scaling

Do your most dreaded task first thing in the morning. It is basically like wake-up and do that disgusted ‘ugh, I can’t wait to get it over with’ thing.” – Rosie O’Neill

Connect with Rosie O’Neill:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Sugarfina  |  Instagram |  Facebook

I am a big believer that you’ve got to focus on two or three things and do those things really well before you start to focus on the next thing.” – Rosie O’Neill

Barbara Huson – From a Simple Freelance Journalist Assignment to Becoming a Bestselling Author, Teacher & Wealth Coach for Women

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After learning her husband had a gambling problem and left her with a few children and a million dollars in debt, Barbara Huson knew she needed to get smart about one thing: MONEY.

Shortly after this, Barbara was given a free-lance journalist assignment to interview women who were smart with their money. This assignment changed her life and became a catalyst for her career as a women’s wealth and power expert.

Barbara is the bestselling author of Secrets for Six-Figure Women, Prince Charming Isn’t Coming as well as four other amazing books about women and wealth. She has been featured on Good Morning America, The View, Extra, The O’Reilly Report, and many times on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, PBS and NPR, as well as the New York Times, and USA Today.

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

Spend less, save more, and invest wisely. And THIS is where I think we as women get tripped up.” – Barbara Huson

Show Notes:

  • The SECRET to wealth for women
  • The 3 Types of Wealth “Work” Women Must do (GREAT!)
  • 3 Everyday Steps you can take to change your relationship with money (this is PURE GOLD – my favorite part of the interview)
  • How to break through fear about money
  • Advice that Barbara hears being given and strongly disagrees with
  • How to be STRATEGIC about your decisions
  • The importance of investing
  • Barbara’s SUPERPOWER

I have a sign that I made with crayons in front of my desk. It says, ‘do what you fear, that’s how you grow’.” – Barbara Huson

Connect with Barbara Huson:

Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Barbara Huson

I’ll tell you something. I’ve been doing this for 25 years. Problems with money are NEVER about money.” – Barbara Huson

Sadie Lincoln – How Growing Up In a Circle Surrounded by Women Helped Shape the Wildly Successful Franchise barre3

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What struck me most during this interview was her grounded nature and assured sense of purpose. A quiet power.

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Sadie’s mom and her four best friends joined together to create a village to support their children around their common core values. They intentionally broke the nuclear family mold.

My guest today, Sadie Lincoln, had an early vision to franchise barre3, a fitness company focused on teaching people to be balanced in body and empowered from within when she was writing the business plan (along with her husband who’s also her business partner).

Their flagship studio opened in Portland, Oregon in 2008. Today, barre3 has grown to include more than 140 franchise studios powered by female entrepreneurs (and a few good men!), plus they now have an online-workout streaming-subscriber base in 98+ countries.

What was once a workout has turned into a movement followed by millions of people around the globe.

On today’s show, Sadie talks about what it’s really like to work with her husband (in business and at home), the philosophy she was raised with and how that has influenced her, her brilliant tips on managing cash flow and so much more.

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

I say a lot of times people come into barre3 wanting a hard body, and they leave with a wise body.” – Sadie Lincoln

Show Notes:

  • How she went from 1 studio to over 140 Today
  • Why her franchising ‘agreements’ are different from most and why the difference makes them so effective
  • Her brilliant method for attracting the RIGHT franchisees (it’s sort of foolproof!)
  • What happened on August 12, 2008, at 5:45 pm that changed Sadie’s life (this blew me away)
  • How she dealt with the most DIFFICULT Times. She did feel like giving up some days, “I want to throw in the towel and get the hell out of here!”
  • How she ‘struggles with the juggle’ all women face. She’s CEO of a fast-growing franchise and a mother of two
  • How her ‘unconventional’ upbringing has affected her life and entrepreneurial journey
  • Her SIMPLE FORMULA for managing cash flow – Brilliant!
  • Why Sadie doesn’t’ give ADVICE
  • The KEY to working effectively with her husband as a co-founder
  • Her biggest Challenge growing from 1 studio to over 140

We are really interested (and continue to be interested) in the pursuit of balance.” – Sadie Lincoln

Connect with Sadie Lincoln:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | barre3

The juggle is not going to go away, the struggle is not going to go away and frankly, I don’t have control all the time over all of that. But what I do have control over is being calm and honest and purpose-driven.” – Sadie Lincoln

Lu Parker – From High School English Teacher to Media Celebrity to Founder & CEO of Be Kind & Co.

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Lu Parker on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

You may have seen her on KTLA or interviewing celebrities and dignitaries such as Oprah, Bradley Cooper, Aretha Franklin, Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand, Kanye West, Nelson Mandela, & Jane Goodall. From Miss USA to an Emmy Award-winning journalist, Lu Parker has had an incredible career.

As she continues to anchor on KTLA, Lu also took a moment of adversity in her life to start a movement around kindness and became the Founder & CEO of Be Kind & Co.

On today’s show, you’ll love her pearls of wisdom as Lu gives us a deep look into her career path and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

 

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

What are the little steps that you are taking today that build towards that goal?” – Lu Parker

Show Notes:

  • How a Moment of ADVERSITY led Lu to start a company based on KINDNESS
  • The difference between NICE and KIND and why KIND is better
  • Why it’s important to be kind to YOURSELF first
  • How women LEAD and why the world will be more ALIGNED when women are in LEADERSHIP
  • How Lu went from a 10th-grade English teacher to Miss USA and then on to anchor KTLA Health & Fitness
  • How Lu handled being in an environment where people were very “unkind”
  • Lu’s best (think super simple) advice for getting WHAT you WANT in life
  • Her best tips for productivity
  • The ONE THING you need to let go of

Don’t put so much pressure on yourself that it is not fun anymore.” – Lu Parker

Connect with Lu Parker:

Facebook | Instagram  |  Twitter  |  LinkedIn  | Lu Parker | Be Kind & Co.

I really do feel like if we can love ourselves and be kind to ourselves then, in turn, we’re able to be more kind to the stranger on the street or to a friend in need.” – Lu Parker

Jean Chatzky – Women. Money. Investing. A real conversation about MONEY and Women with Financial Editor of NBC’s TODAY Show and Award-Winning Personal Finance Journalist

| By Joy Chudacoff Leave a Comment

Jean Chatzky on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Today’s show is all about MONEY with the financial editor of NBC’s TODAY Show (she has been on for 24 years, so you probably know her!) and AARP’s personal finance ambassador, Jean Chatzky.

Jean is an award-winning personal finance journalist and Founder & CEO of HerMoney, a multimedia company changing the relationships women have with money. You may have also heard her popular podcast HerMoney with Jean Chatzky.

On today’s episode of She’s Got Moxie, Jean shares some incredible tips and tricks to living a financially robust life.

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

Start by looking at where you are today, because that it is what it takes to figure out where you want to grow and how you want to get better tomorrow.” – Jean Chatzky

Show Notes:

  • Why women need more money than men
  • The ONE thing women don’t feel comfortable with and what to do about it
  • The FIVE THINGS you can do to have a robust financial life
  • WHY physical and financial health have a lot in common & led Jean to co-authored a book with Dr. Michael Roizan (if you watch Dr. Oz then you know him!)
  • The BEST ACTION step to advance her powerful career in media
  • What she did when someone told her “you don’t have the chops”
  • The Surprising PRODUCTIVITY Tip that Jean uses to stay on top of things
  • What she wished someone would have shared with her early on in her career
  • And much, much more

As you age, good health without financial strength doesn’t work, and neither does financial strength without good health. You absolutely have to have both.” – Jean Chatzky

Connect with Jean Chatzky:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | HerMoney

I make money make sense. That is my superpower.” – Jean Chatzky

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