When you’re passionate about your product and excited to get it out in the world, it can be tempting to just start selling and worry about the formalities later.  Unfortunately, this can get you in trouble. 

In this episode, Courtney Francois of Alkies Wellness Shop shares that she learned the hard way that doing things by the book is an important part of running a business… especially if your product is food or drink.

You can find Courtney and her business Alkies Wellness at: 

Website: www.Alkieswellness.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/alkieswellnessshop Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alkiesmoothies

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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! 

And a big thanks to our sponsors – BizStarts of Milwaukee, WI. If you would like to check out their resources, visit them at https://bizstarts.com.

For many of us, when we first start our business, we are an expert in our product or service, but not in the nuisances of actually running a business. Especially when it comes to all the legal issues that a small business owner needs to manage.

This was the case for Susana Dominguez founder of Blowology. Today she runs a thriving blow dry bar in downtown San Francisco, but she almost lost the name she work so hard to build a brand around because she didn't register for a Trademark.  

You can find Susana and her business Blowology at:

Website: https://www.blowologydribar.com/ 

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

Or visit in person at 166 Geary St, Suite 1000, San Francisco, CA 94108

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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area. If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

There’s no shortage of social media posts, podcasts, and books telling you how successful and wealthy the author is.  “I made $30,000 last month and you can too.” “How I created a six-figure business in six months.”  Absorbing all these messages of success can make you feel less than if you aren’t having the same experience.  

In this episode, Kia Tattegrain of Electivate talks about overcoming the temptation to compare herself to other entrepreneurs.  She shares that comparison only leads to burnout and insecurity – neither of which will actually help you grow a successful business.

You can find Kia and her business Electivate at:

Website: https://kiaharris.com/nonprofit-consulting/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzEY-OP8cQPmVBLkJD6_oZktW3hGUGjJE

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kia-harris

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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! (links our in our bio).

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

Sometimes when we don’t do enough research about a vendor, pop-up market, or business partner we end up in a situation that doesn’t align with our personal and business values.

In this episode, Car Nazzal of Thank You Ceramics talks about joining a holiday market to sell her handmade art and found herself alongside vendors selling mass produced items.  Not only did this setting misalign with her values, she also quickly realized that the market attendees were not her target market.  Luckily, she acted quickly and found another holiday market where her ‘girl gang craft community’ would be in full force and ready to buy!

You can find Car and Thank You Ceramics at:

https://thankyouceramics.shop/

https://ahatogether.com

https://www.patreon.com/CarNazzal

https://www.instagram.com/ThankYouCeramics

To hear more episodes like this find us on YouTube @climbbookclub or 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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! (links our in our bio).

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

Many new business owners put together a website and set up a social media account and then hope people will find them.  They often neglect the very powerful potential of their network.  When you are starting a business, you need to tell as many people as possible.  Don’t let nerves about whether it will succeed hold you back.  Don’t worry about someone stealing your idea… they won’t.  Your network is a built-in group of people who are infinitely more likely to support you and send your referrals than any stranger who discovers your social media account. 

In this episode, Maya Gutierrez of Maya Gutierrez Consulting discusses how she neglected her network when she first launched her business, hoping the adage ‘if you build it, they will come’ would actually work (it didn’t).  Thanks to a mentor’s wise advice, she started reaching out to her network to let them know what she was doing, and then the referrals and new ideas started rolling in.

You can find Maya and her consulting company at:

mayagutierrezconsulting.com

https://www.facebook.com/mayagutierrezconsulting

https://www.instagram.com/mayagutierrezconsulting

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-gutierrez-14838777/

Her podcast is Fearlessly Divine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and can follow for updates https://www.instagram.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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! (links our in our bio).

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area @rencenter.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

Going to trade shows, conferences, and other large events can be a great way to make high level connections, but only if you do some outreach in advance. If there are people you want to meet at a large event, it’s essential to make connections before you arrive, and ideally set up meetings to ensure you will get a bit of their time.

In this episode, jewelry designer Kate Eickelberg talks about going to her first major trade show, hoping to be discovered by the big buyers in the industry.  Instead, she quickly learned that the big buyers had already set up meetings with designers who had reached out before the show.  Rather than stopping and shopping – they walked right by her booth.  

You can find Kate and her beautiful fine jewelry at: 

https://www.kateeickelberg.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kateeickelberg/

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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! (links our in our bio).

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area @rencenter.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

So many people stay in jobs they don’t like or fail to pursue their dream of entrepreneurship because their brain tells them it’s too risky.  But sometimes, you have to ignore your logic driven brain and follow your gut, so you can achieve your dreams. 

In this episode, Alissa Redmond of South Main Book Company talks about doubting her decision to buy a book store and wondering if she had lost her mind.  But luckily, she followed her instinct that told her, beyond all reason, she could make this work.  Now she has a successful business and is an essential part of her community in Salisbury, NC.

You can find Alissa and the South Main Book Company at:

https://www.facebook.com/southmainbookcompany

https://www.instagram.com/southmainbookcompany/

https://www.tiktok.com/@southmainbookcompany

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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! 

A lot of people become entrepreneurs because they want the freedom to schedule their own time.  But as Ana Boa-Ventura shared, that freedom can be a double-edged sword.  You’re your own boss now, and you have to hold yourself accountable or the work won’t get done.

In this episode, Ana Boa-Ventura of One Insight Digital Agency talks about giving herself too much freedom when she first became an entrepreneur and not getting nearly enough accomplished for her business.  She shares how she turned things around by blocking out set work hours and holding to those no matter the temptation. 

You can find Ana at:

Website: www.one-insight.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anaventura

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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! 

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

When you’re first starting as an entrepreneur, it’s so easy to follow the pack, and base your spending decisions on what other people are doing.  But without doing your own research and preparation, your “investments” might become money wasted.  

In this episode Sharon Zimmerman of Sharon Z Jewelry talks about going big on her first trade show and how the $4K she spent to attend resulted in $0 in sales.  Instead of doing her research on whether the show was the right fit for her, she jumped right in and wasn’t prepared to succeed. 

You can find Sharon at:

Website - https://www.sharonzjewelry.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyUQslwAvHx7Kg6oRZawr9Q

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonzjewelry/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sharonzjewelry/

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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you! 

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.

When you’re building your business, it is so easy to ignore your health and well-being.  Cooking healthy food, exercise, and sleep all seem like luxuries rather than essentials.  But nothing can be further from the truth. 

In this episode, Armando Cervantez of Stew the Llama talks about the negative impacts he experienced from letting his health slide in his first year of business, and how making the choice to go to the gym and eat healthily made a real difference for his energy, motivation, and attitude.

You can find Armando and his delicious Peruvian hotdogs at:

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

Website: https://stewthellama.com/

To hear more episodes like this, find us 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 www.climbbook.club. We'd love to meet you!

And a big thanks to our sponsors - The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center of the San Francisco Bay Area.  If you would like to check out their classes and resources, visit them at www.rencenter.org.