Cleveland Mompreneur Guide Podcast

"Let it be easy" came through in a meditation for me the other day. As a recovering perfectionist, over-achiever high-achiever.... this is not always the easiest phrase. But I've been leaning into it and after a day with nothing specifically "productive" scheduled I watched the power of this phrase unfold.... and felt compelled to get on the mic and share the story with you.

Let me know what you think on IG! DM me @mompreneur_co

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Our friend Molly stops by for a chat about how she founded the first non-alcoholic bar in the city of Cleveland. We talk about why we love the atmosphere of the workspace-cafe-meets-neighborhood-bar, plus we get into how we’re relaxing and being social sans the dated pressures of alcohol.

Molly also shares a kismet story from her pre-shop days that gave us the chills! She had seen this type of spirit-free gathering space in New York City -- was there a market for it in Cleveland? Yes, she discovered. And the moment she knew she needed a space for the shop — the space found her.

We talk so much more about life as mom founders as well:

• Our meditation and groundedness practices that get us into ~flow~


• What it felt like to receive and answer the call to be in business for ourselves


• The normal conversations we get to have with our kids that weren’t always so normal for us growing up

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Molly & Verbena Free Spirited Shoppe:

• Verbena's food and drink menus (one for the day, one for the night)


• Directions to the shop


• Follow Molly on IG: @verbenafreespirited

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Abby Beach, founder of the RV Social Lounge, hung out with us at the Mompreneur Co. Studio this week to share the story of how she turned the concept of “I wish I could go out with my friends, but… we don’t want to get dressed up, but… we also don’t want to be at home” into a full-blown business.

It was a wild and impossibly quick ride from the initial idea until she had her first client book her beautifully curated and Instragrammable RV for a girls night. We’re talking less than one month between having the idea and having a new RV in her driveway.

Abby said her approach was never overly planned or researched, she just took decisive action and adapted to challenges along the way — like the time they lost the only set of keys in the build-up to opening weekend, or the time they blew out a tire on the way to filming a featured news segment. Yep. Talk about true tests of thriving in the chaos and accepting what’s in and out of our control.

Abby said she’s grateful she trusted the process and had a vision for the big things more so than the little details — all the risks and costs she knows about now might have scared her away from ever trying.

In this episode we also talk about how much her kids love being included in the business and what’s next for the RV Social Lounge in the holiday season. You’ll also hear Abby’s clever strategy for promoting her business through Facebook Marketplace and why she thinks it works so well for attracting qualified leads.

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Abby & RV Social Lounge:

• The (beautiful!) RV Social Lounge website


• Reserve a date for your "night out while staying in"


• Follow Abby on IG: @thervsociallounge

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🎙️ Join me this week on the "Mompreneur Guide" podcast as we dive deep into a transformative conversation with Amy Traugh, founder of Moms on a Mission and the host of the Motivated Mompreneur Podcast. Amy, a fellow Northeast Ohioan, shares her remarkable journey and insights into the world of mompreneurship.

In our engaging and lively discussion, we explore the essence of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship. Amy's perspective is a shining example of how family always remains our top priority. Her children aren't just a source of joy; they've been instrumental in shaping her into a resilient and determined business owner. As Amy eloquently puts it, "My kids make me a better business owner."

Amy's journey has been nothing short of inspiring. She transitioned from a corporate healthcare employee to a successful two-time entrepreneur in just three years, breaking through the pervasive notion that mothers must choose between their careers and motherhood.

The pandemic-induced pause served as a life-altering moment for Amy. We discuss how the relentless cycle of daily life often keeps us from recognizing our unhappiness and exhaustion. It was in this moment of slowing down that Amy found the clarity she needed, prompting her to ask a critical question: "How do I want my kids to remember me?"

The introspection led her to reevaluate her work-life balance, realizing that there's more to life than just chasing money. Amy shares how she discovered her calling to start her own business and emphasized the importance of seizing the present moment because time is fleeting.

Amy also shares her wishes that she had slowed down earlier in her journey, highlighting how our past experiences and skills contribute to our present growth. Breaking free from self-limiting beliefs and questioning societal conditioning is key to finding your own path.

We discuss the importance of doing the inner work, addressing our subconscious, and questioning our egos. By pruning the negative narratives, we can focus on growth and personal development.

The episode concludes with a discussion about the difficulty of asking for help. Amy and I both acknowledge that admitting our need for assistance can be challenging, but it's a vital step in personal and professional growth. "We're stronger when we link our arms together," as Amy beautifully states.

This enlightening episode is a reminder that real change begins with self-reflection, challenging our beliefs, and questioning societal conditioning. We have the power to shape our destinies, make choices that align with our passions and values, and live life on our own terms. 🎧

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Amy & Moms on a Mission:

• Moms on a Mission


• The Motivated Mompreneur Podcast


• Follow Amy on IG: @amytraugh

SUBSCRIBE + REVIEW SO YOU DON’T MISS A THING

• Apple


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Follow us on Instagram: @mompreneur_co

Check out our Podcast Studio for Mompreneurs

Book a Studio Tour

Learn about our Events for Mom Founders

Join the Mompreneur Directory

Five female filmmakers from the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival joined us for a panel discussion about a common thread in each of their films: agency. We talk about the control the people in their stories had over their lives and their bodies -- and the consequences when that control falls into someone else's hands. We also dug deep into how this manifests itself in the film industry and what these women are doing to change it "so that documentary filmmakers can tell the stories that need to be told. They don't have to only get the stories made that somebody else sees value in. Or that a corporation sees value in. Or that the person with enough money to fund it sees value in. There are other ways than just how the machine works right now."

(00:32) Meet the panel!

(02:29) Recapping the stories told by each film and how they show contrasting levels of agency

(07:43) Advocating for the value of our time and what we’re worth

(15:44) Stephanie talks about why she started her business to fund documentary filmmakers, which got the wheels turning for an incredible discussion about filmmaker empowerment

Thank you to these amazing women for being a part of the panel!

Kelley Wolf Griffith, Director: Junk Genius. Damon Drummond takes the ”junk” from scrap yards and transforms them into art. Also mentioned on this episode:

• Producer: Let's Talk About Death (podcast). Twin brothers -- one is a funeral director, one is a grieving psychologist. They fearlessly tackle a subject often considered taboo: Death.


• Producer: Yooper Wisdom (podcast). An inspiring wellness podcast about a resident of the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where locals are commonly referred to as "Yoopers," as she explores inner healing and self-love. Companion to the film of the same name showing at the Fresh Coast Film Festival

Meg Vogel, Director: Taken: An American Hostage Story. Mark McAlister and John Hamen III had just landed in Yemen. They'd both been hired to renovate a hotel for the U.S. State Department in the Middle East. Amid a brutal civil war, they soon became bargaining chips. This is a story of what happens when one's worst nightmare becomes national news – after the spotlight fades, but the suffering doesn't. This is a story about the hidden cost of war.

Stephanie Dattilo, Executive Producer for Williams & Mansell: Red 5. Nigel Mansell is recognized as one of the greatest race car drivers of all time, but how did he get there? He struggled through race after race, coming just short of winning, but he didn’t let that stop him. WILLIAMS & MANSELL: RED 5 tells the story of how he made it to the World Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, using not only his driving skills, but his engineering background and the help of the Williams Engineering F1 team. Also mentioned in this episode:

• BetaCandy: Stephanie is the founder and CEO of this creative studio that partners with forward-thinking companies to develop engaging experiences that resonate with audiences and real people, not just algorithms.


• Endora Media: Stephanie is also the founder and CEO of this advisory firm that connects capital with creative opportunities. They source purpose-driven content that specializes in content-producing ventures that seek to harness the power of the female voice.

A’magine Nation, Director/Producer and Renee Bergan, Co-Producer/Editor: At Your Cervix. We are taught to trust medical experts to provide the best care and to honor our right to consent. But what if you discovered that medical students had used your body to practice a pelvic exam without consent? It has only been recently discovered that this practice has been going on for years. This eye-opening film takes us into hospitals and classrooms with the experiences of both victims and students and highlights the need for accountability within the medical community.

The on-demand catalog of films featured at the festival is available through October 16, 2023.

Kathy Cruz from the Savvy Shopkeeper is sitting in the cozy pink chairs with us at the Mompreneur Co. Studio this week! Kathy is a retail business consultant for brick and mortar store owners, sharing what she's learned from nearly a decade of balance, profit, and growth at her own home decor boutique.

We talk about how much has changed since we met in 2017 when Kathy was gathering up the courage to leave her job as a detective and go into business for herself.

Back then, she said the fear of failure motivated her to keep her steady paycheck rather than trying to take the leap into entrepreneurship. And ironically here she is today talking to us about how she embraces failure as a core piece of her strategy.

“If I try something new and it doesn’t work, it’s a winner because I learn what my clients actually need from me for the next time. Instead of getting stuck on it like I used it, it’s an opportunity for me to ask what else do they want? How else can I serve them?”

Plus, as a shopkeeper herself, she talks about the call to share what she’s learned with others and how valuable it is to speak from a place of practice & proof rather than talking in theory. And she shares a quick story about the surprising overlap between her business and her past detective career.

(02:07) 2017 Feels Like Forever Ago

Meg and Kathy talk about how much has changed since they met in 2017. Meg was driving around the Style Foundry mobile boutique for her wardrobe styling clients (Kathy was one of them!) and Kathy was gathering up the courage to leave her job as a detective and go into business for herself.

(05:44) Doing Then Teaching

Kathy shares how once she figured out her shopkeeping strategies for herself, she just had to share with others. She talks about the value of speaking from a place of practice and proof instead of from theory, and how she believes it inspires action over procrastination because the results feel more within reach. Plus she tells us about the wholesome community in her mastermind group, bonded together by their niche.

(10:03) Putting Her (Literal!) Detective Skills to Work

It took Kathy several years to realize the surprising amount of crossover between her coaching business and her detective career. She tells us the story of her "aha" moment after a full-day in-store intensive with a shopkeeper in her group, comparing to how she used to listen to witnesses, keep a case file organized, and piece together the story.

(13:51) “And That’s How I Know This Is Where I’m Supposed to Be”

“My driving force is the feeling I get to give other store owners — sometimes it’s relief, sometimes it’s inspiration, and sometimes it’s just accountability. And that's how I know this is where I'm supposed to be.” We get a little philosophical for a sec here! And then Kathy goes into detail about her headline-worthy fearlessness towards failure. She embraces failing since it helps her figure out what her clients actually need. And the side effect is that she becomes virtually fail-proof: if she tries something and it works, it’s a winner because it works. If she tries and it doesn’t work, it’s a winner because she learns for the next time.

(16:58) Mom Life

We look back at the support and encouragement Kathy is so grateful to have from her husband, mom, and sister; how it made her feel comfortable trusting her intuition and taking the leap to be more present with her family. Plus we look forward at what's next for Kathy... which includes a lot of calendar color-coding!

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Kathy & Savvy Shopkeeper:

• Savvy Shopkeeper's Website and Podcast


• Kathy's blueprint for increasing foot traffic to your store. See the details behind the strategies she touched on during this episode


• Follow Kathy on IG: @savvyshopkeeper

Soul Yoga owner and teacher Ylonda Rosenthal-Greene sits down with us at the studio this week, sharing how (and why!) she runs the most soulful yoga studio in the city.

She tells us what she learned from taking classes at every single yoga studio in Cleveland before starting her own, and how she recognized she needed to create a space that said more than just “you’re welcome to be here” to students and instructors. It had to say “we’ve been expecting you. We’re prepared for you.” It’s a small shift in mindset that has made a world of difference.

She designed every bit of the studio to support anyone who walks in the door. Her “soul space” markers, for example, relieve the anxiety of picking a spot to lay down your mat. And they double as a gentle way to tell instructors if you’re comfortable with hands-on assistance. There are so many more little details she shares (too many to cram them all into this summary) — the one about the flooring she picked with her kids in mind is so touching.

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Ylonda & Soul Yoga:

• Soul Yoga’s Website


• Book a class with Ylonda! We did an evening Blaze class with her – the test of physical and mental endurance was an empowering way to end the day!


• Follow Ylonda and Soul Yoga on IG: @awaketomysoul and @soulyogaohc

Professional gift-wrapper and gift-giver extraordinaire Bethany First is in studio today, sharing everything you never knew you needed to know about gifts! We’re talking gifts for all kinds of occasions and all kinds of people; friends, family, clients, or anyone else who makes an impact in our lives.

She shares her creative process for gift selection, wrapping, and making the unwrapping an event and experience in and of itself. We also go deep below the surface-level “here, I got this for you” to uncover what a gift really means when it comes to connecting, communicating, and building relationships with the people we care about.

Plus she tells us the path that brought her to start Revere Gift-Wrapping & Paperie and what she’s done to help it take off, plus the story of the most meaningful gift she’s ever helped someone give.

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Bethany & Revere:

• Bethany's Website


• Tap into Bethany's immaculate sense of taste and personal touch for finding and/or wrapping your next extra-special gift: tell her what you're looking for here!


• Follow Bethany on IG: @reverecle

Chagrin Falls local Kristen Thalman is in studio this week! We talked a little business, then we hit on a topic that flowed so naturally into an open and honest “mom talk” conversation — intuition. We got philosophical about what it means to be our own highest authorities in our businesses and in our lives. Plus we dove into how we’ve become so much more aware of the how we do our work and how we use our words as our kids have become our audiences, watching and learning from our every move.

Kristen coaches women in real estate using the lessons she’s learned from decades of being an agent herself. She recognized how common it was in her industry to feel constantly overwhelmed from trying to do everything and saying yes to as many opportunities as possible. So her approach in her Advanced Agent Academy is simple: let’s find your own clear, simple path to earning and maintaining business. Just one! And watch how things grow when you can pour your focus and energy into one thing instead of ALL the things.

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Kristen

Kristen’s Website. Even if you aren’t in the real estate biz, give this a peek! We love how she outlined her clients’ pain points and their dream outcomes

Follow Kristen on IG: @kristen_thalman

Imagine knowing exactly when it’s time to try something different for your business. Or when it’s best to keep going and not make a change at all. You would know you’re always spending your time and energy as efficiently as you can. But it’s surprisingly even more valuable than that.

Ashley Rector joins us at the Mompreneur Co. Studio this week and tells us how she’s built a thriving digital marketing agency on the back of knowing when “next” needed to become “now.”

She talks about her first business selling organic tote bags — 50 of them, to be exact — and making the call to close it down with thousands of bags still in inventory. She grew her next business, Harness Magazine, to 6,000 writers while still maintaining her day job as an attorney.

The workload took a serious toll on her mental health though; she left her career as an attorney and sold Harness, knowing it needed outside help to continue growing. She started her digital marketing agency Quimby, recognizing her passion for marketing and realizing how often people asked her for advice about growing engaged communities on social media.

She’s targeting over $1,000,000 in revenue this year.

Now what if Ashley had kept at that tote bag business. Or kept grinding in her career. Or kept plateauing at her magazine.

It’s easy to get stuck at any of those points, whether out of pride, sunk cost fallacy, or a belief that sticking with it was the admirable thing to do. It’s hard to make a change.

Ashley has a skill that sets her apart. Whether it’s listening to her market, to her community, or to herself, knowing when the time for change is “now” secretly also means knowing when the time is “not yet.”

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Ashley & Quimby

Quimby Website

Get a team of beautiful brains on your brand - work with Ashley’s team!

Follow Ashley and Quimby on IG: @itsquimbydigital and @ashleylaurarector

Meet Ashley Rector, a savvy entrepreneur who's as comfortable in the boardroom as she is in the playroom. She's the driving force behind Quimby Digital, a marketing firm that's been recognized by Forbes, Nasdaq, and Inc Magazine. Ashley's journey from commercial real estate attorney to digital marketing maven is as unique as it is inspiring. She's a mom of two, a business leader, and a firm believer in the power of a well-crafted social media strategy. Her mission? To work with female founded and funded startups to thrive online.