Making It Work

We're back for a second season, and we're feeling festive. For most small businesses the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas is crucial for driving sales, but what's happening behind the scenes?

In Season 2 Episode 1 of Making It Work we speak to Nik Hawks of Paleo Treats, Mayra Hernandez of Back of the Yards Coffee Co., Ebun Olaloye of Live Breathe Futbol and Kat Samardzija of Locker Lifestyle.

From placing orders in August to roping in friends and family as free labor, we talk to four entrepreneurs about how they plan for the few months that can account for 80% of their sales.

So should you take on the big boys on Black Friday? And, more importantly, what's the deal with pumpkin spice lattes? Tune in to find out.

Six months ago, the world changed forever. Coronavirus has changed the way we live and work, and small businesses have had to adapt to this dramatic shift. In the third part of this Making It Work special, we catch up with the four entrepreneurs to see how their companies are looking a few months down the line. From $8 million investments to 'kind of' maternity leave, we discuss the ways this pandemic has made us rethink how we do business. In this episode we speak to Danny Catullo of Perishable Shipping Solutions, Dana Donofree of AnaOno, Diana Ganz of SuitShop and David Patrick of Shark Wheel. So what exactly is the 'new normal'? And will there ever be such a thing as 'post-COVID'? Tune in to find out.

How exactly do you run a business during lockdown? From Zoom meetings to pandemic-proofing warehouses, it seems this crisis has kick-started a brand new way of working.

In the second part of this Making It Work special, we ask our entrepreneurs how their teams have adapted during this global crisis and what they think the future will hold for their businesses.

In this episode we speak to Danny Catullo of Perishable Shipping Solutions, Dana Donofree of AnaOno, Diana Ganz of SuitShop and David Patrick of Shark Wheel.

So how do you run a company under the constraints of COVID-19? And will things ever go back to how they were?

Tune in to find out.

How does a small business survive a global health crisis? From changing the company strategy overnight to making difficult decisions on employees, the coronavirus is teaching plenty of hard business lessons.

In this Making It Work special across two new episodes, we check in with four entrepreneurs from our first season to learn how they're coping amid the economic fallout of COVID-19.

For this first part we speak to Danny Catullo of Perishable Shipping Solutions, Dana Donofree of AnaOno, Diana Ganz of SuitShop and David Patrick of Shark Wheel.

Can you pandemic-proof a business? Is it even possible to prepare for hard times while growing? Tune in to find out.

90% of startups fail, so why do we only hear from the 10%? Let's tackle the topic of failure in business. In the tenth and final episode of Making It Work, we speak to Tivan Amour of Save My Sales, Aqila Augusta of Edge Entity, Rahim Diallo of Ginjan Bros, Dana Donofree of AnaOno, Diana Ganz and Jeanne Foley of Suitshop, Heidi Hale of Heidi J. Hale Designs, Brian Munoz of Penny Luck Shoes, David Patrick of Shark Wheel and Liz Powers of Artlifting. From "lucking out" and making it big to learning when to call it quits, we ask all of our entrepreneurs what success means to them and whether they've found it yet. So should you hang on and go for broke or cut your losses and call it a day? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES

Scaling your business is no longer a choice, it's survival. Whether it's to protect your market share from deep-pocketed competitors or to satisfy your investors, the pressure for small businesses to replicate their model has never been greater. In the ninth episode of Making It Work, we speak to Aqila Augusta of Edge Entity, Dana Donofree of AnaOno, David Patrick of Shark Wheel and Diana Ganz and Jeanne Foley of SuitShop. From managing booming sales to wrestling with cash flow, our entrepreneurs discuss the hidden challenges of scaling a business sustainably. So are you happy with your mom and pop shop, or should you yearn to become a behemoth? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES

Competitors can be crucial motivation in getting your business to the next level. But what do you do when once friendly competition turns into knock offs and misleading marketing? In the eighth episode of Making It Work, we speak to Diana Ganz and Jeanne Foley of SuitShop, Rahim Diallo of Ginjan Bros, Aqila Augusta of Edge Entity and Dana Donofree of AnaOno. Whether you're first-to-market or an industry disruptor, our panel of entrepreneurs discuss what it's like when the big boys start taking note of your success and try to replicate it. So should you watch your competitors like a hawk or just keep doing what you're doing? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES

If health insurance and employee pension plans would blow your startup budget, there are plenty of other affordable ways to cultivate employee loyalty. Our panel of entrepreneurs explain how simple perks such as trust, flexibility and good old-fashioned fun can sometimes count more than anything flashy. In the seventh episode of Making It Work we speak to Diana Ganz and Jeanne Foley of SuitShop, Liz Powers of ArtLifting, David Patrick of Shark Wheel and Dana Donofree of AnaOno. Whether inviting employees to industry events, or even offering them a piece of the company pie, these business owners explain how they got creative in attracting and keeping talent. So what ingredients make the most appealing workplace environment? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES

Think getting investment is like Shark Tank? Think again. After experiencing failed pitches, interfering investors and pressure to scale, scale, scale, a new generation of entrepreneurs is ditching venture capital and pursuing crowd funding. In the sixth episode of Making It Work, we speak to Rahim Diallo of Ginjan Bros, Dana Donofree of AnaOno, David Patrick of Shark Wheel and Liz Powers of Artlifting. From $2.4m investment rounds to seeking out loan sharks, our entrepreneurs reflect on their diverse experiences when it comes to securing cash to kickstart their growth. So should you hold out for an angel investor or bootstrap your business all the way to the bank? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES

Facebook ads, influencers, blogs, emails, organic reviews, sweepstakes... the range of marketing options available today is staggering. From this epic menu, who knows what works best for your business? From paying Instagrammers to good old-fashioned word of mouth, our panel of entrepreneurs discuss their favourite ways to promote their products in the 21st century. In this fifth episode of Making It Work we speak to David Patrick of Shark Wheel, Aqila Augusta of Edge Entity, Dana Donofree of AnaOno and Heidi Hale of Heidi J. Hale Designs. So which marketing strategies do our entrepreneurs swear by? Tune in to find out.

SHOW NOTES