Consider the Wildflowers

Melissa Oholendt found her passion for interior design in her youth; buying shelter magazines with her allowance from picking strawberries in the backyard and painting her bedroom that perfect shade of navy blue. However, after beginning her interior design college education in 2001, that passion came to a standstill after a conversation with her college professor about the realities of the interior design industry. For the first time, Melissa started to doubt her purpose.

It took more than 15 years, a fast paced career in finance and a decade-long entrepreneurial career in photography, for Melissa to circle back to her true passion in 2019, when Oho Interiors began.

Hear Melissa’s story of rediscovering her passion, trusting the path, and how she’s built a sustainable business doing what she loves.

Katie Williams, owner of Mississippi Stitches, took up sewing while she was in nursing school. She started a small side business, but quickly realized it wasn’t sustainable on top of her studies believing she couldn’t charge enough for each pillow to make a sustainable income.

So Katie set sewing aside and worked as a pediatric nurse for 10 years. When she bought her first house, it inspired her to start sewing again. She re-opened her shop, this time as a ready-to-ship business instead of taking custom orders.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a successful business selling handcrafted products, this episode is for you! You’ll learn how Katie finds customers for her high-end luxury products, the one shift she made that had the biggest impact on sales, and the key to making $100,000 her first year in business.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/katie-williams

Natalie’s story began when she dropped out of college. Feeling lost and searching for a purpose, she ordered a jewelry-making kit on Amazon and stamped words of encouragement on each piece as a reminder to herself to keep going.

Never believing she could pursue a creative career full time, Natalie eventually went back to college while also running an Etsy shop on the side. Although she loved her side hustle, leaving her day job as a school counselor to pursue jewelry-making felt like a major risk. Until the pandemic hit – and she realized her stable career wasn’t so stable after all.

When is the right time to take your side hustle full time?! Natalie’s story will give you the extra courage you may be needing!

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/natalie-browning

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Permanent Jewelry Collection

Teak & Twine Gift Boxes Podcast Episode

New Approach School for Jewelers

Jim Carrey Commencement Speech - Highlights only (a must watch!)

Brittany’s original plan after college was to climb the corporate ladder. When she bought her first candle-making kit online, she never planned to turn it into a business. But when her corporate job led to burnout, she started looking at alternative careers. Brittany decided to make a bold move – she quit her job and went all in on candle-making.

In her first year, Brittany made $16,000 in revenue. By year four, Antique Candle Co brought in over $300,000. Almost a decade later, Antique Candle Co has grown to over 50 employees and $8 million in annual revenue.

From craft fairs to millions in revenue, how Brittany Whitenack turned her love of candle-making into a multi-million dollar business in less than 10 years.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/brittany-whitenack

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Join Brittany’s newsletter for business tips + tricks

Brittany + Hobnob Market: A course for product-based businesses

Katie Gatti Tassin, better known as Money with Katie, is the face and voice behind one of the top personal finance media brands for women. Her mission is to close the gender wealth gap by creating content about money that women actually want to consume.

In this conversation, Katie shares how she took her blog from a side hustle to a million-dollar business in just a few short years, the hidden stress behind that astronomical growth, and what she learned from being acquired by Morning Brew.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/katie-gatti

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Katie’s Wealth Planner
Morning Brew
Personal Finance 101 Free Email Series
Bossy Podcast

Running a product shop comes with its own learning curves from purchasing inventory to managing cash flow. In this episode Rachel Heckmann owner of the Rachel Allene Shop joins us to discuss her own ups and downs in learning to navigate online shop ownership.

It was such a joy to hear Rachel’s story and we covered a lot of ground in this conversation: from quitting her day job without a plan to staying profitable in an economic downturn to navigating different seasons of business and motherhood.

For all of you who want to do work you love while also showing up as the wife and mom you want to be, Rachel’s story is a must-listen!

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/rachel-heckmann

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Text RACHELALLENE to 844-551-8745 for 12% off your first purchase!
Be the first to know when new products launch— Join Rachel’s Email List!

Bonnie Christine always knew she would own a business one day – she just wasn’t sure what kind of business she wanted to run. Not until she started working in her mom’s quilt shop.

Bonnie is an internationally renowned Surface Pattern Designer, entrepreneur, and award-winning online educator. She’s been creating delicate and ethereal artwork for brands around the world since 2009.

In this interview, she shares the behind-the-scenes of her business journey: from $12,000 in revenue and working multiple jobs to making $350,000 on her first course launch. There are so many great takeaways from this episode on money mindset, hiring, and so much more!

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/bonnie-christine

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Bonnie’s Podcast “The Professional Creative”
Bonnie's Free Resource "Sustainable Success to Sale" (including the Freedom Figure Formula)
Learn the Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design | Bonnie’s 8-Week Course “Immersion” is open for enrollment! *Affiliate Link

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your business featured in major media outlets like Forbes or NBC, that dream may be closer than you think!

Dr. Tiffany Eurich is a communications strategist and educator for passion-driven entrepreneurs. A former professor and TV personality, she’s helped her clients land features in places like Real Simple and Better Homes and Gardens – and now she’s sharing how you can do the same.

In our conversation, you’ll hear about Tiffany’s genius marketing framework, tips for pitching your business to the media, and how you can turn a crowded industry into your secret weapon.

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/tiffany-eurich

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Get Tiffany’s “Press Kit in a Day” Checklist— Free gift for Wildflowers like you!

What is Your Enough Number? (blog)

Ashlyn Writes: Copywriting Resources for Small Business Owners

PR Bootcamp with Tiffany

Did you know the global number of podcast listeners is expected to reach over 504 million this year? 

More and more small business owners are jumping on the podcast bandwagon (myself included!) but our latest guest has been at this since 2018 – and she’s got so many great insights to share.

Rachel Awtrey is a mom of two, lifestyle blogger, and host of the Real Talk with Rachel Awtrey podcast. In this interview, Rachel shares how she turned her summer project into a full-time business and creative ways she’s learned to stand out in an increasingly crowded market.

2 Million Downloads and counting? Let’s Go! 

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/rachel-awtrey

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Real Talk with Rachel Awtrey
Join Rachel's February Friendship Challenge
Shop fun Merch!

Life as a small business owner is anything but predictable. Clients come and go, markets shift, seasons of life happen, and plans change.

Olivia Herrick is a graphic designer and owner of Olivia Herrick Design, specializing in logo, golf, print, and packaging design. In this interview, she shares how staying open to change allowed her to grow in unexpected ways and why choosing to keep her small business small made the most sense for her.

While the business world associates growth with success, Olivia shares how growing her business with a different vision of success has made all the difference. 

WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/olivia-herrick

📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Olivia’s Childrens Book “Good Morning, World”
Shop fun Merch!