Soaring Stories

Soaring Stories

By Anna | Soaring TogetherBusinessEntrepreneurship
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Soaring Stories episodes

  • Building Resilience, Embracing the Nontraditional Career Path, and Expressing Gratitude with Erin Katherine

    Today's guest is Erin – a Connecticut-based entrepreneur and content creator, who also works a full-time job! She's one of the most encouraging people I've talked with, and I know you'll leave this episode feeling inspired to work on whatever project you're pursuing.


    We talk about:

    • Why Erin is rebranding her podcast
    • Designing a workbook journal specifically for creative people
    • Erin's first taste of entrepreneurship
    • Erin's experience with the nontraditional college experience
    • How Erin found a full-time job without a college degree
    • Erin's top 3 tips for networking (without making it awkward)
    • It's absolutely ok to fail (this was a big one)
    • Erin's mental health journey
    • Life experiences that inspired Erin to start creating content
    • Creating a community of people who feel comfortable talking to and confiding in one another

    • ✨ Connect:

      • @itserinkatherine on Instagram
      • @rewiredthepod on Instagram
      • Erin’s journal: @shopthevibeout
      • Women’s empowerment community: @hgwhtfd
      • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
      • 46 min
      • Reacting to Your Small Business Stories + Hot Takes with Alyssa

        Alyssa is BACK on the podcast, and we’re reacting to your stories + hot takes! If you have a small business story for season 3, send me a message on Instagram @soaring.together or submit a voice note here: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soaringstories/message


        We talk about:

        • Updates from Alyssa
        • Her next business idea
        • Feeling judgement from others as a teen writer
        • Hot take #1: Threads (5 minute mark)
        • Dunkin’ vs Starbucks
        • Business owners sending posts
        • Do you need to be “qualified” to be a social media manager?
        • Our thoughts on “charge what you’re worth”

        • ✨ Connect:

          • Listen to Alyssa’s first episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0meUrsXGx0Udg9D3EecHW6
          • Join Alyssa’s email newsletter: https://www.papertrailcontests.com/
          • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
          • 30 min
          • As Seen In Buzzfeed, Seventeen Magazine, and Girlboss– Jessica Miao on Growing Apricotton After College

            From writing a 30-page business plan in college with her partner Chloe, to now being the co-founder and CEO of Apricotton, a teen bra brand… Jessica is an absolutely inspiring business owner and mentor to girls. We go into all things growing a business, especially through getting press and grants.


            We talk about:

            • The benefits of starting a business in college
            • How do Jessica and Chloe split up the roles as co-founders? + challenges of working with a co-founder
            • How Jessica grew her TikTok to 100k+
            • Designing + manufacturing the products
            • Working with interns + content creators for Apricotton
            • Jessica + her team’s press strategy for Apricotton without a PR agency
            • Insider tips for applying to a grant / business pitch competition
            • How to get a custom clicker on your website
            • What goes into planning a photo shoot or making videos for an ad?

            • ✨ Connect:

              • Shop the new collection: apricotton.ca
              • @apricottongirls on Instagram
              • @jessicamiao on TikTok
              • @apricottongirls on TikTok
              • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
              • 22 min
              • Living + Working from Anywhere and Creating a Job That Supports Her Lifestyle with Lucy Bedewi from My Write Hand Woman

                Lucy is a copywriter for women-run businesses. We first connected when she shared how to write product descriptions at the Soaring 2022 event, and now she’s on the podcast to talk about her digital nomad lifestyle! Lucy started My Write Hand Woman straight out of college at age 21 and made 6-figures in her first full year in business (so inspiring)


                We talk about:

                • Lucy’s high school jobs before starting My Write Hand Woman
                • A pro tip for getting the retail job you want
                • The first business that Lucy started – a fashion stylist!
                • How Lucy found her first 5 clients
                • The issue with taking courses as a new business owner
                • Digital nomad life!
                • Investing in yourself + your business even when it’s scary

                • ✨ Connect:

                  • @mywritehandwoman on Instagram
                  • mywritehandwoman.com
                  • @lucy.bedewi on Instagram
                  • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
                  • 23 min
                  • Becoming a Realtor at 18 with Olivia Baca

                    The oldest of 6 siblings, Olivia is an 18-year-old real estate agent from Nashville, Tennessee. She's always had an entrepreneurial spirit, from blogging to joining the family business, Ten Oaks Real Estate, at 14. After graduating high school, she jumped straight into Real Estate School. She has a passion for helping people find their dream home, as well as serving others in any way she can. I knew almost nothing about the world of real estate before talking with Olivia – it's a fascinating conversation!


                    We talk about:

                    • How Olivia decided she wanted to be a realtor
                    • Mentors in the industry
                    • What Olivia does in a day
                    • What’s a FSBO?
                    • What goes into selling a house on the real estate agent side?
                    • The best + worst part about being a realtor
                    • Is working with adults ever intimidating?
                    • The connection + lessons learned from blogging to selling homes
                    • Olivia’s goals for the future

                    • ✨ Connect:

                      • @livintennessee in Instagram
                      • @keepcalmandliv on Instagram
                      • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
                      • 17 min
                      • Leaving A Graphic Design Business to Prioritize Her Health, Adaptability, and All Things Funnels with Shira Rodriguez

                        Shira Rodriguez is a novelist, podcaster, and lover of all things boho and books – she’s even designed her own creative writing curriculum! Shira has been in the Soaring community since 2021, and it’s been so exciting to meet her and to watch her grow throughout the past two years. Today, Shira shares her story of adaptability in her businesses, what she’s learning about funnels right now, and how she has cut her time working in half (and actually have time for hobbies!)


                        We talk about:

                        • How Shira has been adaptable as she’s grown
                        • Helping others through business is beautiful!
                        • Seeing potential in ourselves + in the people in our life
                        • Why Shira closed her graphic design business for her health
                        • “It’s ok to love something without turning it into a business”
                        • All things funnels – creating a system now to work less later
                        • Picking a niche and sticking to it
                        • The block schedule Shira implemented to work less (and get more done)
                        • What is a “successful artist”? (a quote from 3 years ago!)

                        • ✨ Connect:

                          • @shirajrodirugez on Instagram
                          • shirarodriguez.wixsite.com/shirarodriguez
                          • Anna’s episode on Her Reading Life: Season 1, Episode 1
                          • Join Shira’s newsletter: fierce-inventor-6143.ck.page/f29cd13613
                          • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
                          • 35 min
                          • Cows, Pandas, and Bringing Unrelated Things Together for Conversational Marketing with Carolyn McMurray from Word Tonic

                            Carolyn is a 23-year-old who's passionate about helping young aspiring copywriters connect, learn, and develop. When I read one of her blog posts, I knew I wanted to ask Carolyn about how she uses idea synthesis to talk about her business from the most creative angles. And if you've ever needed to write a cold email, you're going to want to remember her 3 pointers that make people want to reply.


                            We talk about:

                            • Carolyn’s Instagram – bringing unrelated things together
                            • Why she decided to drop out of university
                            • Our favorite Zoom backgrounds
                            • Advice for writing cold emails
                            • Quick fixes to make your writing sound more human
                            • How much does Carolyn write every day?
                            • The thing that Carolyn outsources to her community in Word Tonic
                            • Thoughts on working at coffee shops – is it worth it?
                            • Why Carolyn wanted to write for tech companies, even though she’s not a “techy” person
                            • How she was able to make enough money freelancing to pay her bills in the beginning

                            • ✨ Connect:

                              • @thewordtonic on Instagram
                              • Carolyn McMurray on LinkedIn
                              • Word Tonic Newsletter: wordtonic.co.uk
                              • Word Tonic Community: www.wordtoniccommunity.com
                              • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
                              • 24 min
                              • Professional Public Speaking as a Teen: Ssanyu Lukoma, from Theater to Writing a Book to Corporate Engagements

                                Ssanyu Lukoma is so enthusiastic about everything she’s doing – whether that’s public speaking, helping people write books, writing her own books, or encouraging kids to love reading through her nonprofit Brown Kids Read. Today, she’s talking about how she started the public speaking side of her business, and how she plans to continue this work in college!


                                We talk about:

                                • Ssanyu's all-time favorite book
                                • How performing in theater can help you become a more persuasive speaker
                                • Corporate public speaking as a revenue stream
                                • Overcoming nerves
                                • What makes Ssanyu stand out as a speaker
                                • Ssanyu's core talk topics
                                • How she finds clients
                                • Action steps for teens who want to start speaking
                                • A typical day in the life of Ssanyu

                                • ✨ Connect:

                                  • Instagram Live with Sadie from @shepersistedpodcast
                                  • @ssanyuspeaks on Instagram
                                  • @brownkidsread on Instagram
                                  • @shareasmilebooks on Instagram
                                  • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
                                  • 25 min
                                  • Rebranding from One Tidy Day to Abitare + Time Management with Julia from Abitare Collective

                                    I’ve known Julia for ~2 years, and today she’s on the podcast! From rebranding her previous business One Tidy Day to how she’s managing time as a high school student, athlete, AND business owner, to looking deeper into the amount of time we spend on social media… this episode is a must-listen for any business owner who’s in a growth phase of shifting their brand.


                                    We talk about...

                                    • Why she decided to move away from One Tidy Day and toward Abitare Collective
                                    • How Julia’s saving time in her business
                                    • Julia’s logo design process
                                    • The amount of time we spend on social media…
                                    • How Julia decides how much to order from clothing manufacturers
                                    • The time it takes to run a business
                                    • Posting on Instagram spontaneously
                                    • Julia’s plans for Abitare
                                    • Creating products that people will want to buy

                                    • ✨ Connect:

                                      • Abitare Collective
                                      • @abitarecollective on Instagram
                                      • @itsjuliad on Instagram
                                      • Anna’s episode on Teen Business Talk: Ep. 7, Season 1
                                      • Join the Soaring Together newsletter: join.soaringtogether.org
                                      • 24 min
                                      • Annie Long + Annissa Khanna: Launching and Leading a Coaching Program for High School Students as Teens (Mixing Friendship and Business?)

                                        Annissa Khanna and Annie Long are some of the most well-spoken, thoughtful people I’ve met – and they’re here to tell the story of starting a coaching program for students as teens! From the roles of us filled on team HPS to the power of book clubs to the traits of a successful team member, this episode is an inside look at what it’s like working for an entrepreneur and how we each grew as a person in the process.


                                        We go into it all:

                                        • what is motivating Annissa and Annie right now?
                                        • the first step to starting a coaching program as a student
                                        • how Annie stays accountable to her big goals
                                        • how Annissa started working for HPS + her current internship at a law firm
                                        • marketing HPS as a startup
                                        • lessons learned on the road to becoming the person you want to be
                                        • roles of each of the 4 members on the HPS team
                                        • team book club!! (highly highly recommend)
                                        • mixing friends and business – no-go or ideal situation?
                                        • GenZ’s biggest strength
                                        • deep work calls
                                        • college prep, etc.

                                        • ✨ Connect:

                                          • 11th Avenue Women on Instagram: @11thavenuewomen
                                          • Annissa on Instagram: @annissakhanna11
                                          • Annie on Instagram: @annielongyt
                                          • Annie on YouTube: annielong
                                          • Deep Work by Cal Newport
                                          • 37 min

                                          About Soaring Stories

                                          From the publisher's feed

                                          Welcome to Soaring Stories: hear from business owners who inspire you, because creative entrepreneurship is more fun when we do it together.