Courageous Dreamers Win

In this episode we are honored to interview Jenn Andrews of Move For Jenn. Jenn worked in corporate America for many years before becoming a stay-at-home mom and launching a successful Isagenix career. Her passion for health and fitness was her foundation. What she didn't know is that career would lead her to her security blanket when she was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma (as a mother of two very young kids). This led to Jenn having to make the biggest decision of her life: amputating her foot. In the same year, Jenn ran her first 5k again.​

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Today's episode of Piece of the Pai features small business and jewelry maker Preston Bolles of Ellison James Designs. Proving that necessity is the mother of all invention, Preston began making jewelry when she couldn't find the right pieces to wear during Carolina Panthers game days. Once she began making her own, she couldn't stop getting compliments.

Tune in to hear Nesha talk to Preston about launching her own business around jewelry, the challenges of making all the jewelry herself, the family connection in her business' name, and what advice she would have for young entrepreneurs.

In this episode we are focusing Mitch Purgason, head designer and owner of Stitched By Mitch. Mitch is a guy beyond his years and has the charisma of Frank Sinatra and cool of Richard Branson. He has differentiated himself in the industry with his customer service and creativity. He can create anything that he can draw so he does not limit himself to men's suits, he also creates urban style jogger pants and bomber jackets or shoes. He has an awe-inspiring list of clientele from NASCAR to the NFL, creating customized pieces that blow minds.

In this episode of Piece of the Pai, we are focusing on Lauren Kunijo & Kenna Ehman, owners of the South End hair salon Kenna Kunijo. Lauren & Kenna are not only talented hair artists, but they are philanthropic entrepreneurs who give back to the community. They truly believe in community over competition and are dimes in the Queen City. Take a listen at how they came together, created a beautiful partnership and aesthetic brand.

In 2011, Alyssa Wilen (né Gorelick) and her boyfriend (now husband and business partner) Andrew saw a gap in the market in terms of fun, friendly and hands on cooking classes. Alyssa, who had a degree in the culinary arts, began talking to Andrew, who had a background in business, marketing and events, about how they could fill that gap. Slowly, through meticulous research and building piece-by-piece, they developed their plan.

Fast forward to today, and Chef Alyssa's classes cover a wide variety of cooking styles and uses, sell out in minutes, and bring a lot of excitement and energy to their home in Atherton Mill Market.

In this episode of Piece of the Pai, Alyssa and Andrew talk about their individual backgrounds and how Chef Alyssa's Kitchen got started, share some fun and interesting stories from their classes, the challenges of working together as a married couple and business partners, and even share some exciting news about their upcoming expansion.

In this episode we are focusing on Chrystal Rose, a self-made entrepreneur who battled through a long road of trial and error. Chrystal did not have the typical route of education and the perfect business plan to find her passion and entrepreneurial mission. Instead, many different jobs led her to what she now is doing and loving.

Her company, Rebellia, is a customized apparel company for athletic women. Her vision is that women with athletic bodies deserve clothing that fits them. She embodies the idea that being pretty and strong aren't mutually exclusive. Her company's mission is to showcase the unconditional support of other women, self-love and giving back.

In this episode we are focusing on Megan Miller, Marketing Director of Opera Carolina, speaks of taking the stage again, as well what it is like being in front of as well as behind the Opera.

She talks about how she initiated new ways to involve a whole new younger demographic with opera as well as how she continues to think outside of the box. She has taken her passion and created a side hustle. Listen to find out how she created a career she loves.

In this episode we are focusing on Karen Hill, financier by day and cycling instructor by night. Karen overcame all odds to ever be able to have fitness in her life after a life threatening heart condition and heart surgery. She not only was able to get fitness back into her life, but she opened up a boutique gym to help others. Karen's latest accolade was being interviewed by Self Magazine.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Karen talks about how her whole world turned upside down when she was diagnosed with a heart condition in her early 20's, which led to open heart surgery
• She shares her thoughts on having a day job to pay the bills, while working on her passion of opening up a fitness studio
• She also talks about how she quit her day job and then had to go back into it to pay the bills
• She mentions her biggest fitness accolade to date, and that is being interviewed by SELF magazine.

Garrett Tichy is the owner and founder of Hygge Coworking in Charlotte, NC. Garrett's story is one that is familiar to many entrepreneurs: unsatisfied with a comfortable, yet ultimately unfulfilling full time job, Garrett set out on his own to take his future into his own hands.

After several years as a manager at Gamestop, Garrett knew that a career change was inevitable. The first step was to get a computer programming degree, which he did at the top of his class. Soon after finding a job in the industry, he decided to take ownership of his work by co-founding Ready at 7, a boutique marketing firm. Not long after that, Garrett made another pivot into the emerging world of coworking.

Garrett bought out the co-working studio that Ready at 7 was based out of and turned it into Hygge Coworking. Since founding in 2015, Hygge has expanded to three locations in the Charlotte area, and boasts over 100 full time members.

In this episode, Garrett talks about making the transition from full-time employment to small business ownership, the value of social capital, and the benefits of having a CPA take care of the financial footwork.

In this episode we are focusing on Rich Moyer, Serial Entrepreneur in Charlotte NC, who is a millennial that created and sold one company and is now a Founder/CEO of two new concepts-one an ice cream shop and also a self-serve beer/wine bar.

​In This Episode

• Rich Moyer talks about how he jumped ship in corporate America at Paychex, and then started a janitorial business and fell in love with the grind of entrepreneurialism
• Rich talks about how he started his entire career as a PGA professional, but has always wanted to be an entrepreneur
• His first company, Oneliance, was self-funded and grew into a multi-million dollar top line revenue business and by his fourth year, sold it.
• He talks about the sacrifice in his personal life to put in the long hours and he states that there was a reason he did that. His reason is what pushed him day in and day out.
• Rich contacted a brokerage firm in working with his sale and it all came down to timing and the right price, so he claims to have gotten lucky in selling Oneliance.
• He speaks about getting bored at the end of that venture and started an ice cream shop with friends as business partners.
• Rich realized he is a serial entrepreneur and decided he wanted to invest in a bar concept that is technology-driven and new to the bar market.
• He states that his favorite part of owning a biz is waking up and working for himself.
• Rich says that he has never had a downside in owning a biz but had a real life example as a young kid, seeing his younger brother battle cancer so he lives with gratitude everyday.
• He says that you have to roll up your sleeves and dig in and be willing to work.