Today, Christina and Reina are joined with Jesi Parker Ekonen for an Empire Mentoring Session. Jesi is a designer from Michigan and the owner behind Just Follow Your Art gift shop. The trio dive head first into what Jesi is currently working on and talk about what type of content she is creating. They talk about showcasing and leading with value as a business owner. They then discuss how to pre-validate ideas if you are a product based shop and your not sure which direction to head. Lastly they discuss goals and the importance of having one as a product based business.














  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  











  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


Main Takeaways:How to behind a sales goal + black Friday talk [0:03:52]How content is being pushed out + type of content [0:10:09]What showcasing your value can look like [0:12:34]Why you need a unique value proposition [0:17:53]How values can make you stand out [0:19:14]How digital downloads can help pre-validate ideas [0:21:39]Why you should watch other seller when you are first starting + testing ideas [0:27:01]Why a product based businesses need to set goals [0:29:47]"My art is a reflection of who I am, and part of that are my values." -JesiShow Notes:Jenni Waldrop of Fuzzy & Birch - Her Creative Empire EpisodeShanna Skidmore - Her Creative Empire EpisodeJonah Berger's book - ContagiousTargetDannie Fountain - Her Creative Empire EpisodeAnthropologieJanet of Janet Gwen Designs - Her Creative Empire Episode"The reason why I market around the holidays is because those big companies have already done the leg work for me and put people into a buying mindset." -ChristinaBio:Jesi Ekonen is the MI designer and owner of Just Follow Your Art gift shop. Just Follow Your Art is home to pretty & witty hand lettered gifts and decor. Jesi's art is sometimes inspirational, often relatable, and always paired best with a cocktail. Feel good about your purchase- a portion of all proceeds are donated to a cause near and dear to the artist. Cheers!Social Handles:WebsiteEtsyFacebookInstagramTwitter








  

    

      

        
          
            
            
            
            
          
            
          

        

        
          
          
            

              
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Episode 161: Empire Mentoring Session: Finding Value + Setting Goals, with Jesi Parker Ekonen - the Creative Empire podcast

Each week, Reina + Christina bring you up close with the influencers you dream of meeting at conferences and workshops, but maybe don't have a budget to attend yet. Sprinkled in between these are teaching episodes, and mentoring that walks show listeners through common problems with solutions during their early days of business.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

Hey, Creative Empire listeners, this is our biggest show yet for reasons that we are about to reveal. Reina and Christina are together today and we have some pretty big news for you. Christina and Reina have gotten together over the past two and a half years to record these episodes month in and month out. This is episode 250. They have recorded 250 episodes and have decided that they are going to be stopping the Creative Empire. This is the very last finale episode of CEP as it is right now.














  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  











  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


Main Takeaways:What the origin story was [0:02:11]What their favorite part of the show is [0:04:11]Why are the duo leaving the space [0:09:34]Why quitting something does not mean a failure [0:14:32]What Christina has in store for her Creative Empire [0:17:15]What Reina has in store for her Creative Empire [0:20:22]Why they will be serving you in a different way [0:24:02]Would Reina do a podcast again [0:24:43]Would Christina do a podcast again [0:25:27]How to connect with Christina [0:27:58]How to connect with Reina [0:28:46]


  
    “There’s nothing better than the connections I think we’ve made out of the show.”
  
  — Christina Scalera

Show Notes:Being Boss PodcastAmy Porterfield’s PodcastPat Flynn’s PodcastTim Ferriss’ PodcastJenna KutcherVoxerTheir Scaling In Business EpisodeThe Contract ShopThe Contract Shop InstagramChristina’s InstagramReina and CoReina’s Instagram


  
    “For me, being able to share diverse perspectives and interesting people has taught me so much. It has also taught me so much about being a leader.”
  
  — Reina Pomeroy










  

    

      

        
          
            
            
            
            
          
            
          

        

        
          
          
            

              
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Episode 250: The Finale, with Reina + Christina - the Creative Empire podcast

Today Reina and Christina are bringing you another jam session! Christina is talking all about legal. She is talking about what happens if somebody steals your ideas, what to do when you’re thinking about “should I be trademarking something or not?,” and how to potentially close your business. These are all things that at some point, you’re going to be thinking about or confronted by in your business. Knowing that you have legal options and hopefully somebody you can trust in order to help protect you in your business is super helpful as well. If you are excited to talk about all legal things and things that just happen kind of in the daily business life of an entrepreneur, listen below.














  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  











  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


Main Takeaways:What the worst reason to not start your business [0:01:12]What to do when someone creates a product exactly like yours [0:02:33]Why brand building is so important [0:05:00]What actions you can take to stop people from copying you + trademarks [0:10:21]When to decide to talk to an attorney [0:18:08]What to think about when closing your business + exiting your business [0:25:20]


  
    “At some point, you mentor enough people, you are going to mentor someone into your shoes. In this world of community over competition, one of your clients is going to take it too far. ”
  
  — Christina Scalera

Show Notes:Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)EtsyThe Unofficial Shopify Podcast by Kurt ElsterThe Calming ManateeFlippaExchange MarketplaceDigital ExitsEmpire Flippers


  
    “Just because you’re right, doesn’t mean that you’re not going to have to pay to respond to all these people or pay legal fees because people can really make a big fuss and it ends up costing you money.”
  
  — Christina Scalera










  

    

      

        
          
            
            
            
            
          
            
          

        

        
          
          
            

              
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Episode 246: Educational Nugget - The Legal Side of Your Biz + How to Protect It, with Christina - the Creative Empire podcast

Reina and Christina are joined today by Alexis “Lex” Monson. Lex is the Co-founder and CEO of Punkpost, a service powered by a community of artists who handwrite and send cards for you. Punkpost is the dashboard for creating and managing happy moments. Lex’s goal is to help people make good on their good intentions and give people an accessible way to connect with one another in a deeper, more meaningful way. Before Lex founded Punkpost, she was the managing community editor at Brit + Co. Prior to that, she worked as a senior editor at Yelp, so she knows her way around the internet. 














  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  











  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


Main Takeaways:Why Punkpost was created [0:02:42]Who Punkpost works with [0:04:40]What types of cards they have [0:09:21]What fires Lex up about Punkpost [0:11:19]Why they are cultivating a community at Punkpost [0:14:01]How to become an artist to Punkpost [0:20:07]What some of the business stages they have went through [0:21:00]What people are sending cards for + their best holidays [0:24:52]


  
    “As business owners, or just busy humans in general, you don’t always have the time to put all the steps together to make (sending a card) come to life.”
  
  — Alexis "Lex" Monson

Show Notes:ClusterBecome a Punkpost Handwriting ArtistShareGrid


  
    “I just think as a creative, when you’re creating something, you’re really giving a lot of yourself and putting yourself out there. It’s so important to have someone acknowledge what you’re doing and praise you for what you’re doing.”
  
  — Alexis "Lex" Monson

Bio:Dr. Lindsay Padilla is the founder of Course Power, a company that helps I  trailblazing entrepreneurs create student-centered courses, content and communities that get their clients A+ results! Using her years of teaching adults online at a community college and the ridiculous amount of learning she has done in all things education, her team specializes in supporting digital entrepreneurs with the early stages of course or program creation, with a focus on optimizing content and elevating the experience using student feedback. She's also the host of the Academics Mean Business Podcast, which shares the journeys of other academics who have started businesses.Social Handles:Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter








  

    

      

        
          
            
            
            
            
          
            
          

        

        
          
          
            

              
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Episode 245: All About Punkpost, with Alexis "Lex" Monson - the Creative Empire podcast

Today, Reina and Christina are joined by Natarsha Wright, who is a published, and featured, wedding photographer and personal branding photographer. Natarsha is committed to building her business through second shooting, which is really cool. The trio are talking about second shooting. If you have ever been curious about how you get into that or supplementing your business income by doing second shooting. Natarsha is going to be talking a little bit about tips and tricks for how to get second shooter gigs and some of the things that you need to know to make sure that you’re not stepping on people’s toes.














  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  











  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


Main Takeaways:How Natarsha got into wedding photography [0:01:58]Why she is so passionate about second shooting [0:03:20]How to be a second shooter + what it means [0:08:27]What mistakes people make as a second shooter [0:11:19]What advice she has for lead photographers [0:16:57]What types contracts you should have in place [0:19:12]What tips Natarsha has to be a second shooter + skills to have [0:22:50]What camera lenses to start with as a second shooter [0:25:49]Why she created a resource for second shooters [0:29:19]How pricing can vary as a second shooter [0:30:47]


  
    “My heart is serving. I love serving others and what better way to do that than  serving creatives through second shooting.”
  
  — Natarsha Wright

Show Notes:Natarsha’s Second Shooter Resource


  
    “You want to make sure that you operate and serve in excellent when you’re documenting someone’s legacy.”
  
  — Natarsha Wright

Bio:Natarsha Wright is a published and featured wedding photographer and personal branding photographer, and the owner of Natarsha Wright Photography. After years of specializing in wedding photography, she now partners with creatives who are focused on increasing their brand visibility by showcasing intentional visual content needed to connect with their target audience and grow a more profitable business. Natarsha’s passion is helping creatives tell the story of their couples + brands through curated images aimed at their target audiences and missions. Her work has been featured on The Knot, Baltimore Bride, Washingtonian Bride and Groom, Virginia Bride, Essence, Black Bride, Aisle Perfect, Munaluchi Bridal and more. When she’s not in grind mode she is exploring taco and ramen bars, checking out the latest netflix binge worthy shows, or spending time with family and friends.   Social Handles:Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram








  

    

      

        
          
            
            
            
            
          
            
          

        

        
          
          
            

              
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Episode 244: Second Shooting in Photography, with Natarsha Wright - the Creative Empire podcast

Welcome back to another episode of the Creative  Empire Podcast. Reina and Christina are jamming all about five habits of growing a successful business. It’s actually 10, because each of them have five. Reina’s perspective is the mom perspective and Christina's perspective is all about the success habits of traveling and maintaining a really successful business. Listen below to hear all ten! 














  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  











  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


Main Takeaways:Why less is definitely more [0:03:28]How to pack light + wash your clothes on the go [0:08:19]Why you should double and triple check your schedule [0:11:06]Why you should bring food everywhere [0:15:10]Why having a morning routine is important [0:21:31]What Reina’s recoup day looks like [0:23:05]Why you should create 3 buckets of life [0:29:01]How to “sit by the pool” [0:33:00]Why reading is important [0:34:10]


  
    “It has broken my stationary loving heart, but I’ve had to digitize everything.”
  
  — Christina Scalera

Show Notes:Ashley Kelly of the Modern Calligraphy SummitUltaPacking Cubes - EbagsREICamp ClimbBecca Courtice of Happy Ever Crafter - Her Creative Empire EpisodeBulletproofQuest CookiesDannie FountainAmerican Express Platinum CardSheplans PlannerMegan Seely - Planner Match MakingPlan to Eat AppKelly McNelis - The Family FreezerParijat Deshpande - Delivering Miracles PodcastHey, Sweet Pea - Elise and Scott GriceDaniel Pink’s book About TimeAudibleCrazy Rich AsiansYear of Yes by Shonda Rhimes  Trevor Noah's Born a CrimeWe Are Never Hanging Out In Real Life by Samantha Irby


  
    “You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. As women, we do tend to have a tendency to take care of everything and everyone else before we take care of ourselves.”
  
  — Reina Pomeroy










  

    

      

        
          
            
            
            
            
          
            
          

        

        
          
          
            

              
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Episode 161: Empire Mentoring Session: Finding Value + Setting Goals, with Jesi Parker Ekonen - the Creative Empire podcast

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