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In honor of National Women's Small Business Month, this one is just me, and it's a little different from our usual conversations.
I'm sharing the story of how I stumbled onto The Scout Guide in a bathroom in Franklin, Tennessee, and why I think it could be a huge opportunity for someone in Central or Upstate New York.
Then we dive into the real state of women's entrepreneurship in 2026: how far we've come since women needed a male cosigner to get a business loan, the incredible growth women-owned businesses are seeing today, and the gaps in revenue, capital, and mentorship that are still very much in our way.
I close things out with the lessons this year taught me about building a business, including why growth and scale aren't the same thing, why entrepreneurship can be deeply unglamorous, and why sometimes the most entrepreneurial thing you can do is make the business smaller.
Sources:
Wells Fargo 2026 Impact of Women-Owned Businesses
Wells Fargo 2025 Impact of Women-Owned Businesses (PDF)
NWBC 2024 By the Numbers
Forbes: More Women Own Businesses Than Ever
Gusto 2025 New Business Formation Report
Gusto: The AI Advantage (2025 data)
QuickBooks Women Entrepreneurs 2026
U.S. Senate Small Business Committee Report, July 2023
MonitorDaily on Biz2Credit Women-Owned Business Study
Cambridge Trust: Women and the Great Wealth Transfer
WTXL: How women business owners cracked the glass ceiling
NAWBO: 28 Years Ago, You Couldn't Get a Loan Without a Man
MBE Magazine: $10 Trillion Revenue Gap
If you are building something right now and wondering whether any of it is working — this one is for you.
Happy National Women's Small Business Month. Go cross that threshold.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
This episode is brought to you by The Scout Guide, The Scout Guide is a national print and digital franchise publication spotlighting the best local small businesses Love your city? Make it your business. The Scout Guide is looking its next franchise owner. Their franchise model is creative, flexible, community-rooted, and woman-forward. It gives you the autonomy to build your own business on your own terms while being backed by a national network of editors and entrepreneurs. Learn more about owning The Scout Guide: https://thescoutguide.com/franchise/
Join us for Camp Collective, a weekend retreat for growth-minded women, November 13 to 15 at Vanderkamp. Use code CULTIVATE for $50 off your spot: https://luma.com/cny-k2uc
Get your tickets to Cultivate Live on November 12 at Vanderkamp, an intimate evening featuring a keynote from Arel Moodie and a live podcast conversation with Jeff Knauss of Arcovo AI. Use code CULTIVATE25 for a special discount: https://luma.com/ebumpab6
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In this episode, host Alex takes the show on the road and films on site at Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette, New York for a conversation with Eddie Brennan — fifth generation co-owner and President of Beak and Skiff, 1911 Established, and Ayrloom — about what it really means to carry a legacy forward without losing what made it worth carrying in the first place.
Eddie did not grow up planning to run the family business. He was born in Atlanta, grew up in Connecticut, Hawaii, and California, built a career at Bloomingdale's in New York City, and would not have even made the list of five people likely to take over a fifth generation apple orchard. Then his dad called. Again and again. And the vision of what Beak and Skiff could become was impossible to ignore.
Under Eddie's leadership, the business has grown from a seasonal apple orchard generating 80 percent of its revenue in six weeks into one of the most recognized agricultural brands in New York State. 1911 Established saved the family farm by turning apples into award-winning hard cider and spirits. Ayrloom became the largest cannabis company in New York State by applying everything the family learned growing apples. And Apple Grove Adventure Park went from idea to open in eight months by removing six acres of trees his grandfather loved and betting on something completely new.
This one was filmed on site. If you want the full experience, watch it on YouTube or Spotify.
If you have ever been handed something bigger than yourself and wondered whether you were the right person to carry it forward — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
This episode is presented by Mooney Marketing Group. MMG is a full service advertising agency right here in Syracuse, and they are the team behind the launch of Apple Grove Adventure Park. They work with law firms, car dealerships, healthcare providers, banking institutions, home services businesses, and more, executing campaigns across Central New York, the greater Upstate market, and nationally. What sets them apart is that they combine serious media buying power with the latest AI tools to deliver results that actually move the needle. Learn more at mooneymarketinggroup.com, or start the conversation with my friend Jake Etoll directly at [email protected].
Get your tickets to Cultivate Live on November 12 at Vanderkamp, an intimate evening featuring a keynote from Arel Moodie and a live podcast conversation with Jeff Knauss of Arcovo AI. Use code CULTIVATE25 for a special discount: https://luma.com/ebumpab6
Learn more about our sponsors:
Big River Film Co.: https://food.bigriverfilmco.com/
The Scout Guide: https://thescoutguide.com/franchise/
SUNY Oswego at Syracuse: https://ww1.oswego.edu/syracuse/
Join us for Camp Collective, a weekend retreat for growth-minded women, November 13 to 15 at Vanderkamp. Use code CULTIVATE for $50 off your spot: https://luma.com/cny-k2uc
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Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Jennifer Bisson and Aimee Tarin — Chief Legal Operating Officer and Chief Impact Officer of Nave Law Firm — for a conversation about what it really looks like to lead at the highest level behind the scenes, build a life you are proud of, and show up fully in both without apologizing for any of it.
Jennifer came up through retail management, earned her paralegal degree with honors, spent nearly 20 years in the legal field, and joined Nave Law when it first opened its doors in 2018 with five or six people. She was promoted to CLOO in January 2026. She is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher who cold-emailed studios until one took a chance on her — and she is now a permanent instructor.
Aimee has more than 15 years of experience across operations, client experience, marketing, and organizational leadership. She walked into Nave Law before she was even an employee, was handed decision-making power on day one, and has since built the systems, structure, and accountability that allow a fast-growing firm to actually function. She is doing all of this with baby number two on the way.
Together these two women represent something the Cultivate audience needs to see more of — what it looks like to grow into your power on your own timeline, lead with precision and purpose, and refuse to let age, motherhood, or anyone else's expectations define what is possible for you next.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you have ever wondered whether your best chapter is still ahead of you — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
Connect with Dr. Amy St. Croix of Scolastico Educational Consulting Firm
Learn more about owning The Scout Guide
⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective, the weekend retreat for growth-minded women in Upstate NY
Use code ‘cultivate’ for $50 off your spot at Camp Collective: https://luma.com/cny-k2uc
Connect with Jennifer Bisson
Connect with Aimee Tarin
Nave Law Firm
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This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Stephanie Cartin — co-founder of Entreprenista, co-founder of Socialfly, angel investor, author, podcast host, and one of the most generous community builders in the game — for a conversation about what it really takes to build multiple companies, scale yourself out of the work, and create a community that changes people's lives every single day.
Stephanie co-founded Socialfly, an award-winning social media marketing agency recognized on the Inc. 5000 list, before building Entreprenista into a media platform and membership community of over 4,500 ambitious founders that reaches millions of women every month. She also co-founded Pearl Influential Capital, which was acquired by Cherub, and openly shares her personal journey with Multiple Sclerosis, infertility, and a complicated pregnancy that was featured on the Today Show — using her story to remind every woman that resilience is not a trait you either have or you don't. It is something you build.
This conversation is equal parts business masterclass and permission slip. And it will leave every founder feeling a little less alone.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you have ever wondered whether the community you are building actually matters — or whether there is room for you in a world that already feels crowded — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
Join the Entreprenista League
Learn more about The Scout Guide
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This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Sara Brooks — co-founder of Goldilocks, a CPG brand strategy and marketing consultancy, co-founder of Plainspeak, and one of the most respected voices in consumer brand building — for a conversation about the shift happening right now in how women consume, who they trust, and what it actually takes to build a brand they will actually buy.
Sara founded Covet PR, which became one of the country's fastest-growing consumer agencies before being acquired by Power Digital in 2020, where she went on to serve as Chief Brand Officer. Over the course of her career she has partnered with more than 200 consumer brands — from pre-revenue startups to public companies — helping founders build brands that people actually care about. Now she is putting her own money, time, and reputation on the line with Plainspeak, a consumer wellness brand born out of a group chat between three women who were tired of being confused, overwhelmed, and over-marketed to. And it is already changing the conversation.
This is the episode for every woman who has ever added something to her cart because an influencer told her to — and every founder who wants to build something she actually believes in.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you have ever wondered whether the thing you are building actually matters to the people you are building it for — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
Check out Big River Film Co.
⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective
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Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Nathan Cronk and Brian Harvath — co-founders of Big River Film Co., a nationally recognized production company that has spent the last decade helping brands tell stories that actually resonate — for a conversation about what it really takes to build a creative business. Not the aesthetic pics or highlight reel version. The real one.
Before founding Big River, Nathan was documenting stories across East Africa and Eastern Europe, sleeping on floors, and betting on himself before he even knew what the bet would cost him. Brian spent three seasons on the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series House of Cards — not because he went to film school, but because he got cold feet at the dotted line, decided to figure it out on his own, and worked his way onto one of the most prestigious sets in the country one handshake at a time. Together they built something really special out of Central New York — and the journey to get here is one worth hearing.
This is the episode for the creators, the freelancers, and anyone who has ever wondered what it actually looks like to build something of their own when the shoot goes sideways, the pipeline dries up, and there is no paycheck coming unless you go earn it.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you have ever wondered what it looks like to build something creative, scrappy, and deeply intentional from the ground up — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
Check out Big River Film Co.
Check out Ronald McDonald House CNY upcoming events
⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective
📝 Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on Substack
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Apply to be a guest on Cultivate
Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Dr. Kristen Eichhorn — Interim Provost, Dean of Graduate Studies, Interim Dean of the College of Business and Entrepreneurship at SUNY Oswego, published relational scholar, and co-author of Interpersonal Communication: Building Rewarding Relationships — for a conversation about what it really means to communicate well, why most of us are doing it wrong, and how fixing the way you talk to people can change everything in your business, your leadership, and your life.
Kristen has spent nearly two decades at SUNY Oswego, growing from Assistant Professor of Communication Studies into one of the institution's most senior leaders — overseeing three roles simultaneously, growing graduate enrollment by 34%, championing lactation rooms in every campus building, and creating real access for the adult learners who were told the system wasn't built for them. She is also the current President of the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools. And she did all of it by doing one thing better than almost anyone Alex has ever sat down with: she listened.
This conversation is a masterclass. And it will leave you looking at every difficult conversation you've been avoiding very differently.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you've been avoiding a hard conversation, carrying a miscommunication you never addressed, or wondering why your relationships keep hitting the same wall — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
Connect with Kristen on LinkedIn
Check out Ronald McDonald House CNY upcoming events
⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective
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Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Dr. Kaushal Nanavati — Assistant Dean of Wellness at Upstate University, motivational speaker, author, and Integrative Family Physician — for a conversation about what human flourishing actually looks like, why our relationships are the mirror we're not looking in, and what it really means to fill your own cup before you pour into everyone else's.
Dr. Nanavati has spent nearly four decades at the intersection of medicine, wellness, and human connection — helping people achieve real contentment and peace. Not the performed version of wellness we post about, but the quiet, rooted kind that holds when life gets hard. He does it with humor, storytelling, and the kind of tangible wisdom that makes you wonder why nobody ever taught you this before.
This conversation goes deep — fast. And it will leave you looking at your relationships, your boundaries, and your relationship with yourself very differently than when you sat down to listen.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you've ever poured yourself completely empty for the people around you and wondered why something still feels missing — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
Connect with Dr. Kaushal Nanavati
Check out Ronald McDonald House CNY upcoming events
⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective
📝 Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on Substack
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Apply to be a guest on Cultivate
Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Beth Trunfio — President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Central New York — for a conversation about what it really means to lead a mission-driven organization for nearly three decades, and show up every single day for families in the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
Beth joined Ronald McDonald House Central New York in 1999 when it was a $300,000 nonprofit with a staff of three. Over the past 25 years, she has transformed it into a nearly $2 million organization, led a $6 million capital campaign to build their current facility, oversaw a major expansion in 2024 that added six new family suites, and launched the Hospitality Cart Program in 2025 to bring the mission directly into local hospitals.
But this conversation isn't really about the numbers.
It's about the parents sleeping in hospital hallways and cars because their child needed care and they weren't going anywhere. It's about the physician who mortgaged a house and slept on the floor so families would have somewhere to go. It's about what happens when ordinary people see an extraordinary need and refuse to walk away from it. And it's about what it actually takes to lead something this important — for this long, with this much heart.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you've ever dropped spare change into a collection box and wondered where it was going — this is the episode that will change the way you see that moment forever.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
Check out Ronald McDonald House CNY upcoming events
⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective
📝 Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on Substack
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Apply to be a guest on Cultivate
Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
In this episode, host Alex sits down with Sydney Dumler — founder and CEO of Forza Pilates, Nashville's most talked-about wellness brand and cult-following luxury studio trusted by Kelsea Ballerini, Sabrina Carpenter, and Kacey Musgraves — for a conversation about what it really means to build a brand that doesn't just look like luxury, but feels like it from the moment you walk in the door.
Sydney came to Nashville to be a pop star. She left Belmont with a Music Business degree, moved into studio management, worked her way up to Director of Operations overseeing 75 employees at 22 years old, and then did what every great operator eventually does — she stopped building someone else's vision and started building her own. Forza Pilates launched in 2022, and within two years earned recognition from The New York Times, landed a second location inside Soho House, and built a product line, retreat series, and digital platform that positions the brand squarely at the intersection of fitness, fashion, and lifestyle. And every single celebrity client who has walked through the door? They paid to be there.
She didn't chase the aesthetic. She obsessed over the feeling. The way the towels are folded. What the studio smells like. What it means to walk into a space where your name is remembered. Because to Sydney, luxury was never about price — it was always about hospitality. And that distinction is exactly why Forza works.
💬 Topics we cover:
If you've ever wondered what separates a brand people talk about from one people are obsessed with — this is the episode for you.
New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe.
⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective
📝 Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on Substack
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Apply to be a guest on Cultivate
Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group⛺️ Learn more about Camp Collective
📝 Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on Substack
🎥 Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on Instagram
Apply to be a guest on Cultivate
Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate on her website, LinkedIn & Instagram
This episode is brought to you by Diam Media Group
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