PDX Small Business Network

One of the most exciting things about the Portland revolves around the amazing craft beer community. With over 70 breweries to date, Portland is becoming the craft beer hub of the country, bringing tourists far and wide to visit and taste what the Northwest has to offer! However, there are only 24 hours in a day, and trying to find a way to hit all of the breweries you want during your stay can be a bit overwhelming if it’s your first time visiting the area.

Luckily, Ashley Rose has the solution. Ashley is the founder of Brewvana, a brewery touring company that brings people on trips all around the Portland area. Today, Ashley and I talk about how her company got started, the kind of breweries they visit, and what you can expect when you join Ashley for one of her amazing beer tours. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

How Ashley got into the beer touring business! She started Brewvana 6 years ago, and her interest in the idea came from working with beer when she turned 21. After serving, Ashley started to learn about the culture and community that comes with beer. It’s different in Portland—people really care about it, it’s special, and beer is of a higher quality in this area. The whole notion got her excited, and since Ashley already played tour guide for her friends and family, the idea to do so for everyone else just seemed natural!

From her basement bedroom to her living room, and now to an office space, Ashley explains how Brewvana evolved into what it is today. Based in Northwest Portland, Brewvana currently owns 3 short buses for their tours, as well as a 44 passenger bus that Ashley keeps at her house for private parties and events! Additionally, Ashley tells us that the tours will pick people up, and drop them off, at Growler Guys, giving them time to explore the city even more after the tour is over.

Ashley tells us the types of tours they offer, explaining that there are multiple options so everyone involved can have the best experience! There’s both walking tours and bus tours available—the walking tours give people a chance to get outside, get to know the different neighborhoods in the Portland area, and it also gives the guests time to talk about their experiences during the downtime! On the other end, the bus tours give people an opportunity to see different parts of the city, the bus rides are extremely fun and engaging, and you can drink your wares on the bus as well!

Ashley runs through what you can expect if you join Brewvana for a bus tour! The earliest tour starts at noon, with pick up being at 11:40 to get you to the first brewery on time. Each tour is between 3 to 4 hours, with the group spending 45 minutes at each brewery along the way. You’re, of course, tasting at every stop, with the first two stops focusing a lot on the brewing process. You’ll talk about the ingredients in beer, as well as getting a behind the scenes tour on how the brewing process is done! At the third stop, you can expect to stop and eat, and the last stop has you enjoying yourself while you engage in fun beer trivia games to win cool Brewvana themed prizes!

Ashley talks about the engagement they have with their customers! Each location they visit offers samples of what they offer, and Ashley likes to mix up what they taste to see what piques their interests! Exclusives to certain breweries and seasonal items are great for trying new things and engaging in buying the product as well. Additionally, they can customize private tours to make sure everyone can enjoy themselves! Cider houses are also included, for those who prefer something sweeter (and those with gluten allergies), giving everyone a chance to have fun, even if they don’t like beer.

Lastly, Ashley tells us how they choose the breweries they include on the tour. When she started, there were only 35 breweries in the area, but now with a growing population of over 70,

When you’ve specialized in a variety of different things, combining them can be tricky if you don’t have the right grounds to do so. And, even if these things don’t necessarily start with something in common with one another, taking a deeper look and finding a way to weave all the aspects of your life into one cohesive system can make your life, and the lives of people that do the same things that you do, so much easier.

That’s what Melissa Jaffe is doing with Blissness School. By combining her expertise and years as a licensed attorney dealing with businesses and intellectual property with her love and dedication towards yoga, meditation, and practices for a good mind, Melissa has found a way to teach people how to better understand what they’re doing, as well as settling themselves as they do it. By making sure that people are mindful of how they’re working, Melissa is effectively changing the way people do their business and find peace in their lives. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

What gave Melissa the idea to start something like Blissness School. Over the last 20 years of her working in corporate business, Melissa noticed that there wasn’t a lot of spaciousness to be creative all the time, especially in the world of law. People weren’t happy, and Melissa started to utilize some of the practices she’d learned in other parts of her life—her yoga and meditation classes—and soon created a place to learn how to be self-accepting, more effective at work, and more empowered. Blissness School!

Melissa tells us how Blissness School got started, with her just recording segments of video that demystified business law. People would often freak out, she says, and bury their heads in the sand, which is the opposite of what you want to do as a small business owner. Other people began to come to her with great things to offer, and since then, she’s been teaching about business law, intellectual property, how to manage passive income streams, scale up and franchise, and how to understand your own business. Additionally, Melissa also offers a mentorship package, where she works with people one on one.

Melissa tells us about the biggest mistake that people make when it comes to knowing the law, stating that people either don’t use a contract, or they use someone else’s contract. She’s seen it with her own clients, and after a certain point, no lawyer can help you. If you don’t have the right words, or if you’re not acting in accordance with what you say you’re going to do, it’s not going to work well for you, and you’ll pay for it.

Melissa also explains that, while some people don’t want to be tied down and have the freedom to change their minds, that’s a dangerous place to operate from in business. People come to you for a reason, and you need to be clear with yourself and them during your interaction. When you’re not clear, that’s when you get problems. The contract isn’t about the paper, it’s about the promise to do or not do something. You need to know everything, but you need to know where you’re going so you can have a discussion when you deviate from the plan. That’s what helps maintain and preserve relationships.

Melissa tells us about the various events that Blissness School hosts! On top of the retreats they’re beginning, Blissness is a place to come to learn about empowerment. Some of the headier places like law can be intimidating, and by focusing on the body and the mind, Melissa has successfully started to cleanse challenges and meditation challenges that help affect the mind and the way people face work. By reevaluating what you’re putting your body and taking it one step at a time, you can see what helps in shifting your mental state, and what makes you more effective.

Melissa explains what happens when you sign up for a challenge, saying that you get an email every day! After consulting with experts,

When you’ve specialized in a variety of different things, combining them can be tricky if you don’t have the right grounds to do so. And, even if these things don’t necessarily start with something in common with one another, taking a deeper look and finding a way to weave all the aspects of your life into one cohesive system can make your life, and the lives of people that do the same things that you do, so much easier.

That’s what Melissa Jaffe is doing with Blissness School. By combining her expertise and years as a licensed attorney dealing with businesses and intellectual property with her love and dedication towards yoga, meditation, and practices for a good mind, Melissa has found a way to teach people how to better understand what they’re doing, as well as settling themselves as they do it. By making sure that people are mindful of how they’re working, Melissa is effectively changing the way people do their business and find peace in their lives. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

What gave Melissa the idea to start something like Blissness School. Over the last 20 years of her working in corporate business, Melissa noticed that there wasn’t a lot of spaciousness to be creative all the time, especially in the world of law. People weren’t happy, and Melissa started to utilize some of the practices she’d learned in other parts of her life—her yoga and meditation classes—and soon created a place to learn how to be self-accepting, more effective at work, and more empowered. Blissness School!

Melissa tells us how Blissness School got started, with her just recording segments of video that demystified business law. People would often freak out, she says, and bury their heads in the sand, which is the opposite of what you want to do as a small business owner. Other people began to come to her with great things to offer, and since then, she’s been teaching about business law, intellectual property, how to manage passive income streams, scale up and franchise, and how to understand your own business. Additionally, Melissa also offers a mentorship package, where she works with people one on one.

Melissa tells us about the biggest mistake that people make when it comes to knowing the law, stating that people either don’t use a contract, or they use someone else’s contract. She’s seen it with her own clients, and after a certain point, no lawyer can help you. If you don’t have the right words, or if you’re not acting in accordance with what you say you’re going to do, it’s not going to work well for you, and you’ll pay for it.

Melissa also explains that, while some people don’t want to be tied down and have the freedom to change their minds, that’s a dangerous place to operate from in business. People come to you for a reason, and you need to be clear with yourself and them during your interaction. When you’re not clear, that’s when you get problems. The contract isn’t about the paper, it’s about the promise to do or not do something. You need to know everything, but you need to know where you’re going so you can have a discussion when you deviate from the plan. That’s what helps maintain and preserve relationships.

Melissa tells us about the various events that Blissness School hosts! On top of the retreats they’re beginning, Blissness is a place to come to learn about empowerment. Some of the headier places like law can be intimidating, and by focusing on the body and the mind, Melissa has successfully started to cleanse challenges and meditation challenges that help affect the mind and the way people face work. By reevaluating what you’re putting your body and taking it one step at a time, you can see what helps in shifting your mental state, and what makes you more effective.

Melissa explains what happens when you sign up for a challenge, saying that you get an email every day! After consulting with experts,

As humans, we all have necessities and requirements we have to meet, and shopping is one of those things. However, it happens more often than not that retail stores and shopping malls will offer us just the slimmest of options, leaving over half of our population to feel uncomfortable, and shame with the lack of options there are for them. Luckily, we’ve been making strides these past few years to push these issues of body shaming to the forefront, and body positivity now leads the way for so many women in the world who are loved and accepted for exactly who they are.

Becky Jarvis is one of the people leading the way towards this amazing new tomorrow. Becky runs the largest original plus sized clothing event in the Northwest—Curvy Chic Closet—and gives women everywhere a chance to visit with over 200 consignors who sell their gently used clothes from sizes 14 and up! Together, Becky and I talk about how she started this business, what it means to her, and how she’s been able to grow this event into what it is today. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

All about Curvy Chic Closet! Founded in 2011, Becky got the idea after volunteering for an event that was giving plus sized clothes to children. Upon attending, she thought about why there wasn’t the same thing for adults, and thus Curvy Chic Closet was created! With 2 events a year, one in September and one in April, you can visit and shop with over 200 consignors with 20,000 consigned items sizes 14 and up! All items are gently used and thoroughly inspected before being presented for purchase.

Where the event takes place, in Washington County. Becky also tells us that, additionally, there are 21 women-owned business vendors outside of the event, selling their goods as services! There are homemade crafts and products, as well as business owners from the areas (like a massage therapist, Becky explains). Additionally, Becky explains to us that, if consignors volunteer to help with the event aside from selling their wares, the percentage they get back on the items they sell can increase from 60 to 85%!

In order to participate in the event, you need to register online at their website. There’s a small registration fee of $10.00, but afterward, you’re on the floor! Consignors can bring in a range of 20 items, to nearly 150 items. On-site, tagging services are offered for your clothes, but the closer they get to the event, the more limited those appointments are. When you use their tagging service, you get 40%, but if you tag your items yourself, you get 60 - 80%! Additionally, the software they use at the registers can notify them which items of clothing belong to which person, making the process of paying the consignors easier.

Becky tells us how popular the event has grown to be, with 1,500 people attending their last event in the spring! They’ve been at their current location for the past 2 years now to accommodate the crowds, and they’ve gained this notoriety through mostly word of mouth, and national publicity. Shoppers tend to come from all over at this point, with some traveling from Canada to attend!

Becky talks to us about the fashion show that comes with the event! They just recently held a casting call to find their models, and Becky assures us that what they do isn’t a traditional fashion show. When they cast, they’re looking for everyday women that embrace and inspire other women. They want people who’re comfortable with themselves, people who aren’t necessarily professional plus-size models, and people of all ages (their youngest model this year is 14, and their oldest is a 58-year-old woman in a wheelchair who’s bucket list included being in a fashion show!). The fashion show is free, and also hosts as a fundraiser for a nonprofit called Period, which helps women with menstrual hygiene products and needs.

Overall, the shopping event is free. However,

We all know how important social media is to our marketing campaigns, and making sure that we’re harnessing the power of these platforms in order to gain our audience and spread our message is what gives us a strong foundation to build upon. However, as business owners, having the time to manage these accounts by ourselves while maintaining a certain level of consistency can make our social media pages flounder. With the need for a strong social media presence being required in this day and age, how do we handle these accounts with vigour?

That’s where Becky Boldrick comes in. Becky is the founder and operator of Stumptown Social Media, a company that offers to run your social media accounts for you! Together, Becky and I talk about the kind of work she does, the kind of businesses she collaborates with, and what you can expect once you hire Becky to take charge. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

What Becky does when you hire her for your social media management. Becky does everything that you would need to do for your social media pages—she creates content, runs ads, and is the main point of contact between you and your customers. She makes sure to respond to messages very quickly, and she keeps conversations running smoothly while she directs people to the proper channels.

Becky explains that she doesn’t have a favourite type of client. Overall, she enjoys working with anyone. Her perfect client, however, might revolve around someone who doesn’t have any sort of social media presence set up. Becky truly enjoys starting them from scratch, seeing followers flow in to see who their community is, and getting the interest and excitement up for the business.

Becky discusses how often businesses should be posting to Facebook and Instagram, the 2 most prominent social media platforms in marketing, explaining that 3 - 5 posts a week is the sweet spot. You don’t want to overwhelm your followers with information, but you want to keep them intrigued throughout the week. When it comes to this content, the choice to share the same content across different channels or create new content based on the platform itself is ultimately up to you, and how you think your audience would respond.

Becky explains the ROI on social media marketing, explaining that a lot of people tend not to understand how it works in terms of social media marketing. More than half of it is social ROI—it’s a social return, where people are talking about your business and sharing the information with others across social media. You can’t really record a number with this method, but you can see customers communicating with each other and building trust. That’s where they turn from interested prospects into customers, and that’s where the money flows in.

When it comes to Instagram marketing, Becky explains that she focuses more on organic growth with followers. You can buy followers, of course, but they may not actually be your customer. You want to be posting content that represents who you are as a brand and a business, and the people who start following you because of it are the people who are going to buy from you in the long run.

Becky explains the way she goes about creating content, saying that writing content in advance isn’t always the best way to work. Since she works with a lot of local businesses, Becky often visits the business and talks to their team. By maintaining open communication and building trust, the business knows that what Becky will write is going to be good, quality content for the business. Additionally, with how available Becky makes herself to these clients, she’s ready to fix any last minute changes and edits that need to be made.

Becky explains how she started this business, stating that Stumptown Social Media has been around for a year! The idea came to her after she started taking over social media accounts for a friend,

Making sure that we, as women, are taking care of our health and wellness is extremely important. However, when pregnancy is involved, we sometimes lose sight of what we need the most— self-care. Most people wouldn’t consider visiting a chiropractor while carrying a child, but what they don’t know is just how helpful it can be to take time out of what is already an extremely busy schedule to make sure that your body is completely ready and in the best condition it can be before you give birth.

That’s where Lisa Jewell comes in. Lisa is the sole doctor at Jewell Chiropractic, an office that works to deliver chiropractic care to pregnant women, women post birth, as well as newborns and infants once they’ve been born who need a little help with bone alignment. Together, Lisa and I talk about the importance of her work, what drew her towards women’s health, and how someone can expect a typical visit to Lisa’s office to go. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Why Lisa chose to get involved with women’s health. She specializes in prenatal and postpartum women’s health, and her passion for this demographic grew as she started seeing more working mothers coming in for visits. With trying to balance working up until their due dates, juggling various appointments, and trying to get their house and family ready for the birth of the child, they often forgot about themselves. Lisa loved giving them that space for self-care and the need for this kind of care only quadruples when the baby is born. Therefore, Lisa made it her job to make sure these women are taken care of!

Lisa also talks to us about the importance of what she does—postpartum is underserved in our culture, and so many new mothers suffer because of the lack of care they get after they give birth. Lisa says that, in most cases, she’s the only doctor these women are constantly seeing after their birth, and she loves being able to give them the attention and care that they need and deserve.

Lisa explains to us the kind of problems that people come to her for that she can fix! It starts with women prior to giving birth who experience things like back pain, pubic pain, and “lightning crotch”, also known as perineal pain. They’re still working and trying to do normal things while also working to grow a human, and helping them manage their pain as well as keeping their body well aligned is important.

Lisa also explains that she’s proficient in what’s called the “Webster Technique”, which is specifically for balancing the pregnant uterus and pelvis. The theory is that having everything aligned allows your body to have a faster and more natural birth, due to your body being in the best possible place it can be before giving birth. Additionally, Lisa states that getting chiropractic care pre-childbirth can increase your chances of having an easier labor.

Lisa explains to us that various hesitations people might have when it comes to visiting her in the office. There’s a stigma around what she does, but she assures us that she spends a lot of time going over what they do, and how everything she does is safe and helpful. Ultimately, the bigger issues are that these mothers are already ingrained in the habit of not prioritizing themselves, and Lisa works very hard to make sure that those thoughts are dispelled with the space she gives them.

Lisa then explains to us the works she does with infants and children, stating that it’s important for every baby to have body work done. It’s a lot of work and stress to be born—research shoes that a vaingal delivery puts up to 70 pounds of pressure on the cervical spine, and when you add in other factors, there’s even more pressure. Babies are resilient, of course, and can endure a lot of pressure, and ideally, everything settles after they’re born, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes,

Portland is known for so many things, and its exquisite taste in seafood is certainly near the top of the list. With how close we are to the western coast, serving seafood that’s fresh and safe to eat is an important staple of how things are run, and our guest this week on the PDX Small Business Network Podcast certainly believes the very same. Sustainable seafood at a cost you can afford in the heart of downtown Portland might sound too good to be true, but Southpark Seafood breaks the mold with their modern atmosphere and deep care for the food they serve, and how they obtain it.

Southpark Seafood in Portland:

Jason Gerlt, general manager of Southpark Seafood, is here with me today to talk about what their restaurant is all about! By maintaining a certain level of safety in the way that the fish, the food that they serve, and the way that they operate with the wonderful local farmers that provide their food, Jason gives us the details on how they came to be the large success they are today. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Jason tells us why and how Southpark Seafood is committed to sustainability. It’s the core of their business, he says, and the ownership located in the Northwest is very concerned about the environment and the future. They’re particularly concerned when it comes to healthy oceans and seafood, and by avoiding techniques used in fishing and farming seafood that’s harmful to the environment—and the seafood itself—they maintain a level of safety to keep the ocean and the creatures who live there as safe as possible.

Jason also tells us about Southpark Seafood’s partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program! They’re one of only 5 restaurants that are associated with this platform, and this program keeps them up to date on fishing techniques, as well as the seafood that’s available, and that’s good for the environment. With this helpful team by their side, they do not serve anything that’s damaging to the long-term health of the oceans.

Jason talks with us about the vendors that they use for their food, stating that they know them and they trust them to be honest about how the products they serve have been farmed. In terms of the farmers they use, Jason says they prefer smaller, locally sourced farms to provide their fresh food. Since oysters are delivered to the restaurant on a daily basis, Jason gets to know these people very well, and they build amazingly strong relationships with them because of it. Because of this, they have the largest oyster selection in Portland!

With that, Jason shifts towards their oyster bar, which is the biggest in Portland with 13 seats. The restaurant as a whole has been around for 20 years, but they’ve since shifted drastically in terms of what they want to serve, and what their menu reflects. Last year, they remodeled their location to expand and improve, and with that expansion came a bigger and better oyster bar! You can sit right at the counter in front of a display that shows all the oyster they have available for the day—usually there’s about a dozen offered. This display, Jason says, makes it more fun for the customers to see the process of oysters being shucked, as well as reading their in-depth menu on what they offer, their suggestions, and the variety of ways you can eat the oysters they serve.

Jason tells us about the kind of atmosphere you can expect when visiting Southpark Seafood, explaining that all walks of life are welcome to enjoy what they have to offer. They categorize themselves as fine dining, but they try to make sure they’re available to anyone who wants to come in. Because of their location, they do get a lot of people joining them before an event—a show at a theatre—or after work, but regardless of if you’re wearing a 3 piece suit, or a t-shirt and jeans, you’re welcome!

Jason gives us a brief history of the head chef at Southpark Se...

We’ve talked about various ways to keep you and your family safe before on the PDX Small Business Network Podcast, but what about the more specific needs that need attention? For example—mothers, who suffer from postpartum depression, as well as postpartum anxiety. These diseases already have a lot of misconceptions surrounding them, and being able to treat the things that make you feel like you’re not good enough is extremely important in maintaining a healthy and fulfilling life.

That’s where Alicia Hart can give you a hand. A physician, and founder of Vitality Northwest—a holistic primary care center that treats women as well as children—created this space due to her own experiences as a mother, as well as needing to fill a space that many medical centers lacked. Together, Alicia and I talk about a variety of topics, ranging from the care that she provides to mothers and their children, as well as her experience, and what got her interested in this specific field. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

What Vitality Northwest is all about. Alicia describes it as a holistic primary care center, and after going through her own postpartum depression journey, Alicia discovered there were a lot of holes in the medical system in terms of how mothers are treated. Because of this, she decided to become a one-stop shop for women who might be experiencing postpartum mood disorders, as well as taking care of children as a primary care physician.

Alicia explains her start in this particular field, stating that most women are using their OBs as a primary care stop. However, OBs stop taking care of you 6 weeks after the birth of your child, and things like postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety might not be evident for up to 4 months. At that point, most people are making visits for their child, and you’re not as likely to be seeing your OB that far after the birth. This is where Alicia comes in, to take care of both the mother and the child!

Alicia also explains that she does a fair amount of co-care for pregnancy—as well as being trained as a midwife, though she doesn’t deliver due to her own personal life. Traditional care doesn’t go into things like nutrition and herbs, which is her specialty, and Alicia states that she can fix a lot of common complaints women have during pregnancy—such as constipation, or cramps—by using these herbs.

Alicia explains the importance of what’s called pelvic floor therapy. In France, she states, it’s standard to get 8 weeks of pelvic floor physical therapy after delivering a child, regardless of how the delivery was performed. After giving birth, 90% of women who have had a vagial birth, and 75% of women who have had a cesarean delivery end up having involuntary bodily reactions during things like laughing, sneezing, or jumping. Women also can experience pain, which makes it unable for them to have sex, and often they complain that something doesn’t feel right with their pelvic floor. Alicia, having been well trained by pelvic floor physical therapist Tammy Ken—strongly advocates for women to partake in it, and has used it—to much success!—on patients before.

Alicia explains that, while she does use herbs and vitamins, she can and does prescribe antibiotics and other traditional medicines as well. She prefers a holistic approach, however, and studies the herbs she’s giving to people (which she posts about with the hashtag #evidencebasedwitch). Alicia also prefers herbs to antibiotics, due to the lower amount of side effects someone can experience.

Alicia gives us a history of Vitality Northwest, explaining that she’d been in practice for a little over 2 years before starting. She wanted to get in somewhere that she could focus on postpartum women and pediatrics, and after getting hands-on experience through other medical centers and training centers, she made an amalgamation of what she saw a lack of...

We all know that Portland is famous for a variety of things—our amazing coffee, our wonderful variety of foods, and of course, our breweries! For those listeners who are 21 and up, you can agree and understand what I’m talking about when I say that Portland—and the Northwest in general—have given us amazing craft beer selections for years. So many amazing homegrown beers have come right out of our backyard, and this week, we have one of those talented and amazing people to tell us all about the process, and what it means to manage your own brewery.

John Harris is the founder and head brewer at Ecliptic Brewery, and this week, John tells us how he got started in the industry, what made him take a leap to open his own brewery, and the kind of products his amazing company has to offer. Additionally, he gives us an amazing sneak peek as to what running a brewery is all about. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Who John Harris is, and how he got started with Ecliptic Brewery! Starting in 1986, John brewed for McMenamins Hillsdale Brewpub for 2 years, before leaving in 1988 to become the founding Brewmaster at Deschutes Brewery. From there, he served as a Brewmaster at Full Sail Brewing in 1992, until just recently. He quit his job in 2012 to start his own company, and the rest is history!

John also tells us why he started his own brewery, stating that the area of Portland he’d been living in and looking at really called for something that was suited to his needs, and was right up his alley. Starting his own company, at that very moment in time, just felt right. John then goes on to explain where the name for his company—Ecliptic Brewery—came from!  

John tells us the luck he’s had in the last year, with the name of his company coinciding with the solar eclipse. Due to that amazing planning, John got to create a special brew just for the occasion. And, though they only made 3,000 cases for the event, they sold out in a flash!

John tells us how he got started into brewing, stating that it happened in the last 1980’s. After trying beers from microbrews, John noticed how much more flavor it had to offer compared to mainstream beers, and his interest was piqued right away. After buying his first homebrew kit, the rest was history, and John started pursuing this interest at a professional level!

John tells us the process of finding the perfect building for his company, stating that it took him nearly a year after he quit his job to find the right match. It did come, thankfully, just before Christmas time in 2012, and after working to negotiate the lease for 3 more months, John had found his perfect location. The building is big, with lots of room for growth, has arrangements for outdoor seating, and is located in a very popular spot for nightlife in downtown Portland. And, after being there for the past 6 years, it looks like it’s going well!

John confirms that most of the beer brewed at the headquarters does leave the restaurant, and gets shipped out to the Northwest area. Among them is the most popular beer they served, entitled the “Starbust IPA”. What started off as a special beer they brewed for the Portland Beer Week in 2015 became something of the best selling hit, and John’s been brewing it up ever since!

John talks with us about the design of the cans, stating that the company in charge of their graphics—Sasquatch Creative Agency—does all of their base designs, and does a wonderful job with it! Additionally, their marketing manager Daria Stein creates her own graphics for social media marketing and advertisements, and with the combination of both, they work extremely well together. In fact, once they changed the logo, cans were flying off the shelf! The money spent is worth it if your product sells successfully.

Finally, John tells us about the beers he currently has brewing,

For a lot of people, tattoos are a way to show self-expression on their body in a long-lasting and creative way. For others, it’s about commemoration, and celebrating something that you care very deeply about, and wanting to hold that part of it close forever. However, with how popular and talked about tattoos are, people still often have the same questions—does it hurt to get a tattoo? Is getting a tattoo the best idea? What should I expect when I visit a studio for the first time?

Tattoos Studio in Portland:

Luckily, we’ve got just the person for that. Victoria Benedetti is a tattoo artist in Southeast Portland who owns and operates her own private tattoo parlor. Together, Victoria and I talk about what got her into the art of tattooing, how long she’s been at her own business, and to sort of debunk some myths about the entire process while educating people (myself included) on what they can expect when they enter her tattoo parlor. Let’s get started!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Where Victoria got her start! A Portland native, Victoria has been an artist her whole life and has a degree in graphic design from Portland State. In addition to traveling around the world, she’s spent the past 13 years doing custom designed tattoos for people in her own private studio!

Victoria explains the process to us slightly, explaining that before anything serious happens, everyone gets a free one-hour consultation so they can articulate what they want. For her, it’s fun to meet new people and understand what their thoughts are on getting a tattoo. However, in the end, Victoria claims that the connection she has with her clients is the most important—she’s the artist who can bring their vision to life, but she needs a concept and an idea from the customer, first, before she can execute it to perfection.

Victoria also explains how much it can help for people to do a quick Google search on tattoos and the whole process, or to even visit her website in order to read the FAQs and informational pages. Since tattooing has become pretty popularized with reality television, people often think they know more than they do about the process. Since tattoos are permanent, Victoria needs anyone interested to know that what they’ll get it something they’ll carry for the rest of their lives, so knowing what you want before going in is highly important, as well as making sure that getting a tattoo is what you truly want in the first place.

Victoria talks with us briefly about the pain experienced during a tattoo, first confirming that the process does hurt. However, how much it hurts varies from person to person—if you’re someone with a high pain tolerance, it won’t be as much of an issue as opposed to someone with a very low pain tolerance. Additionally, the part of the body you choose to get the tattoo on affects how much pain you experience, as some places are extremely tender and exposed.

Victoria talks to us about the importance of finding a tattoo artist that you connect with. For her, it’s about a positive exchange of energy—you want to find someone you click with and someone that you like. It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who does a specific style you’re looking for since most artists can do a lot of different styles and techniques. It’s about how much you connect with them, and how you resonate with them. Having a personal connection with someone is important when you start the process! Tattoos are powerful, and you want to make sure that the person you receive it with is on the same wavelength as you are.

Victoria tells us about the first time she got a tattoo, stating that it was kind of hard at first. Being an artist herself, it’s hard to choose what you want doing first, and it wasn’t until she had a very powerful experience that she knew she wanted to be reminded of that experience. If you’re not really sure of what it is that you want,