Experts with the very best intentions may give you advice that doesn’t feel right for you.  It’s ok to trust your gut and go against the “common wisdom.”

In this episode Audrey Mayrent of My Dancing Dragonfly, talks about being pressured to launch her business before she felt ready, and her disappoint when her website and messaging weren’t right for her desired customer experience.

You can learn more about Audrey and My Dancing Dragonfly at:

Website: https://mydancingdragonfly.com/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079683517361

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mydancingdragonfly1/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-mayrent-b01290b/

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/mydancingdragonfly/

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

You’re amazing, but you can’t do everything.  Life + family + job + your own business = burnout!

In this episode Leah Ledda of Lei’s Plant Shop, talks about trying to do everything including being a full-time mom, full-time employee, and running her own business. And then she discovered how much help was out there if she just asked.

You can learn more about Leah and Lei’s Plant Shop at:

Website: https://www.leisplantshop.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/leis_plant_shop/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/leisplantshop

A big thanks to our sponsors – The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. If you would like to check out their resources, visit them at https://rencenter.org

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

While hiring support for your business can be a great idea, you need to be careful about how many people you are hiring and how much money you’re spending on that support.

In this episode, Nadya Tatsch of Coaching by Nadya, talks about bringing on 8 different professionals in the first six months of her business and the enormous debt that quickly created.

You can learn more about Nadya and Coaching by Nadya at:

Website: https://www.coachingbynadya.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachingByNadya

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/183423182230832

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingbynadya/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/coachingbynadya/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1c7BrrgXIYSbh7-zOcD6Q

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

When your business is just starting and you’re only taking a few orders, you don’t need to do a lot of planning.  But when things get busy, everything changes, and you need to have a plan of attack to manage the complexity that comes with growth.

In this episode, Angela Aquino of Silver Dahlia Baking, talks about saying yes to too many baking orders without a plan on how to get them all made and safely stored.

You can learn more about Angela and Silver Dahlia Baking at:

Website: www.SilverDahliaBaking.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silverdahliabaking/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverDahliaBaking

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

When you are first starting out, it can be hard to see past the launch phase to the future needs of your business.  But change is inevitable, and you need to build flexibility into your operations.

In this episode, Joanna Parzakonis of this is a book store & Bookbug, talks about building out her space with permanent fixtures that didn’t allow her to adjust the layout of the store as circumstances changed.

You can learn more about Joanna and this is a book store & Bookbug at:

Website: https://www.bookbugkalamazoo.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisabookstoreandbookbug

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookbugkzoo/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookbugkzoo

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

When your gut tells you that you won’t be able to work with a certain client – listen.  Working with clients who don’t align with your worldview, your idea of quality, or your work style will drain your energy and create undue stress.

In this episode Erica Lovecraft of Flynn Writes, talks about working with a client who she never connected with and eventually having to refer her to another copywriter. 

You can learn more about Erica and Flynn Writes at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-flynn-writes/

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

For all us 40+ entrepreneurs, it might be tempting to keep doing things the same old way.  But business behaviors are constantly changing, and what we need to stay competitive isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago (or even 2 years ago.)

In this episode Michelle Barone of Moksha Grace Consulting, talks about her unnecessary spending on outdated business purchases, and how grateful she is for her under 30 COO who helps keep her business in the modern world.  

You can learn more about Michelle and Moksha Grace Consulting at:

Website: https://mokshagrace.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mokshagracecoaching/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mokshagracecoaching

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/mokshagracecoaching/

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

While your business is unique, people have already done many of the things you’re learning to do.  Getting help from someone in your industry is a great way to leapfrog your business forward.

In this episode Jubilee of Jordan Joel, talks about the impact they experienced from connecting with a fashion industry expert, and how they wish they’d done it sooner.

You can learn more about Jubilee and Jordan Joel at:

Website: https://www.jordanjoel.com/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/haus_of_jubilee

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/iamjordanjoel

Email:  [email protected]

A big thanks to our sponsors – The Transgender District of the San Francisco Bay Area. If you would like to check out their resources, visit them at https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to feel as though you chose to start your own business, so the responsibility should all be yours.  But people who care about you want to see you succeed and will give you a helping hand.

In this episode, Avery Hines of the Concept Kitchen shares how he avoided asking for help, and the world of difference it made when he reached out to his community for support.

You can learn more about Avery and Concept Kitchen at:

Website: https://conceptkitchen.space/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conceptkitchen.space/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/averyzeus/

A big thanks to our sponsors – The Transgender District of the San Francisco Bay Area. If you would like to check out their resources, visit them at https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors – The Transgender District of the San Francisco Bay Area. If you would like to check out their resources, visit them at https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/

If you don’t know how much it costs to make your product, you risk undercharging and even losing money on your sales.

In this episode, Claude Hizon of Pound4Pound Grilled Burgers realized that his gourmet burgers cost far more to make than he had guessed, and once he ran his numbers, he discovered his margins were much too low.

You can find Claude and Pound4Pound Grilled Burgers at pop-ups in the Oakland and Berkeley, CA area.  Follow him on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/pound4poundgrilledburgers/

To hear more episodes like this, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon Podcasts by searching for CLIMBING TOGETHER!

If you'd like to join the book discussion with Climb - The Small Business Book Club, visit us https://www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!