“My team is actually the biggest reason why I opted not to sell Brainchild and to shut it down instead; because I knew if I were to sell, I would have to sell my team,” explains Kiley Peters, founder of RAYNE IX, an executive consultancy for women entrepreneurs. Kiley began her entrepreneurship journey with Brainchild Studios, a digital content strategy agency. In today’s episode, Kiley shares why she chose to shut down Brainchild Studios, what she learned from shutting down a business, and why she decided to found RAYNE IX.

In 2021, Kiley realized that she no longer wanted to run Brainchild Studios and was instead interested in working with female small business owners. Her love for her team members led her to shut down the business instead of sell, so that she could bring them with her to the new company. Kiley shares what she has learned from her entrepreneurship journey, along with tips for other small business owners.

If you are an entrepreneur, you need to understand the value of your employees and provide ample opportunities for them to succeed. Learn more about why Kiley chose to shut down her first business and how RAYNE IX helps women entrepreneurs not only succeed, but flourish.

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Connect with Kiley Peters:

Website: https://rayneix.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kileypeters/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kileypeters/

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“The idea was to create a little bit of a middle of the road option that's a more stepwise option that makes it a cool brand. That's also a stepwise way to maybe not have such an excessive amount of sugar and caffeine in a beverage,” explains Dr. Jason Romesburg, founder of Running Lights Beverage, a beverage start-up based out of Williamsburg, Virginia. Dr. Jason is a practicing neuro-radiologist who never anticipated himself pursuing entrepreneurship, especially outside of healthcare. Looking back on his journey, he found that he had been employing entrepreneurial skills while trying to build an interventional radiology clinic. In today’s episode, Dr. Jason details what he learned through attempting to start the radiology clinic and how he applied those lessons to his beverage start-up.

Dr. Jason’s idea for his beverage was to make a healthier alternative to the major soda brands, one with more moderate levels of caffeine and less of an excessive amount of sugar. After making mistakes while opening the radiology clinic that caused a lot of debt to accrue, he knew that he would need to approach the beverage start-up more strategically. Instead of operating out of debt, he now understood the importance of bringing on a white coat investor, being keenly aware of everyone involved in the business, and not buying brand new equipment and supplies.

For a start-up to succeed, you really have to put your all into it. If you’re going to be using your own money, consider going in with an investor so that you are not immediately operating from a place of debt. Learn more about the lessons Dr. Jason picked up along his entrepreneurial journey.

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Connect with Dr. Jason Romesburg:

Website: www.runninglightsbeverage.com

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radlifeRL/

Don't forget to visit the website: https://www.behelpfulpodcast.com/

Start Your Side Hustle: https://www.yencil.com

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“I love oxygen, because if you have never almost died before, then you wouldn't understand what I'm saying maybe. But for me, yeah, I love oxygen. Now that I'm up, everything else is fair game. I have a ton of energy, because I'm a competitor. I'm going to build my tallest building. I'm not worried about what everybody else is doing. I've got to build my tallest building,” shares Randall Townsel. Randall is a business owner and works in Chicago real estate development where he has completed over 750 residential and commercial projects. In today’s episode, Randall discusses where he gets his inspiration and motivation from.

Randall was drawn to entrepreneurship from a young age, attracted to the idea of making his own schedule. At university, Randall pursued a professional football career, but had to pivot after experiencing a near death experience where he was caught in a drive-by shooting. After that Randall’s mindset shifted and he became more in love with life than ever before. His motivation comes from that mindset shift and the desire to not waste any of the time he has been given.

No matter what life throws at you, don’t give up. Even if someone tells you no, that doesn’t matter in the long run. There are 1000s of opportunities out there, so just move right on to the next one. Learn more about how you can stay motivated and reach your goals so that you can make the most of the time you have.

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Connect with Randall Townsel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randall-townsel-b8a55898

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“Certain things I was able to do for myself, and certain things I wasn't. And I think the important takeaway here is to let that happen and to be fine with that to happen and not to blame yourself,” shares brand strategist Juliana Rogers. Juliana is a former ballerina turned business brand strategist based out of Germany. In today’s episode, Juliana talks about online brand strategy for entrepreneurs.

Startup growth largely depends on not only the ability of your brand to solve a problem, but also on your strategy. Often when people consider entrepreneurship they will start to think about a brand in terms of a name and a logo, but there is a lot more to think about when talking about brand strategy. By building a brand, you are ultimately creating an emotional picture within a potential customer that influences their decisions in a positive way toward that brand. The most important thing to consider is what problem you wish to solve and who your target audience is that needs that problem solved. Then you can start to develop a product or service that solves that particular problem and begin designing your brand.

To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be able to accept help when you need it without blaming yourself for not knowing every single little thing. Learn more about the common mistakes entrepreneurs make when creating a brand and the steps you should take in order to create a successful brand that people feel they can trust.

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Connect with Juliana Rogers:

Instagram: @julianarogersofficial

Webpage: www.julianarogers.com

Don't forget to visit the website: https://www.behelpfulpodcast.com/

Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Be Helpful Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“If you have a bank account, you have customers that are willing to pay you money. If you can solve a problem that somebody has, you're literally in business,” explains Steve Valentor, founder and president of Polynomial Ventures, a Chicago based venture capital firm. Steve has 30 years of experience within the technology industry and his venture capital firm focuses on early stage tech. In today’s episode, Steve talks about what entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs need to know about money, company valuation, and attracting potential investors.

The venture capital industry has a very high rate of return, however, it also has a high amount of risk involved. Investors are looking specifically for businesses that will likely be able to return the full amount of money invested. The majority of start-up businesses will fail in the long run, so it is important to really think about what problem you are solving, who your customer base is, and what your valuation is for your company. Not every entrepreneur needs to go the venture capital route to get their business rolling. Many businesses are not suited for that route and instead can seek other means of investment that are not necessarily cash-based. Someone may be willing to supply you with an extra real-estate property for example, or suppliers may be willing to cut deals with you in order to get your business going.

There are many ways to fund your business, but one important thing to keep in mind is the more money you borrow, the more you will have to return to your investors. Really figure out your valuation for your company and do not take more money than you actually need. Learn more about dos and don’ts for new entrepreneurs and find out what qualities venture capitalists are looking for in an investment opportunity.

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Connect with Steve Valentor:

Website: https://www.polynomial-vc.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenrvalentor/

More helpful content: https://www.behelpfulpodcast.com

Start Your Side Hustle: https://www.yencil.com

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in real estate? Or maybe you're a seasoned pro and are looking for ways to take your business to the next level. In either case, social media is a great place to start. This week we're chatting with Jen Bowles, a real estate agent turned broker who found her home in social media. Tune in to learn how she uses different platforms to connect with clients and grow her brokerage, JBO Home. You might just be surprised at some of the things she's doing!

jbohome.com

If you're searching for your purpose in life, look no further than your passions! By pursuing what you love and making it your job, you can live a life that is both meaningful and profitable. Take it from our guest Lesline—a busy mom who accidentally became an entrepreneur when she followed her heart and started teaching yoga classes to other busy moms. Listen to this episode to learn how she found balance by creating her business.

https://www.leslinepittman.com/

Do you want to be successful at anything? You do not need talent. You do need all the answers. You do not need to memorize books. You simply need a good learning strategy. At its core, learning is a brain-based activity, and brain science and our guest in this episode, Gregg Goodhart, The Learning Coach, tell us that our approach can make all the difference!

GreggGoodhart.com

Do you love hair, makeup, and beauty? So does Keiashia Wood and she's turned that love into a successful business called Key 2 Glam. Listen here to learn how she did the not-so-glamorous things like working multiple jobs and going to school simultaneously in order to pursue this glamorous gig. Now, she doesn’t just love makeovers, but she loves making over 6 figures too!

key2glam.com/

As a female entrepreneur, it can be easy to feel like an imposter. You're hustling 24/7, trying to make your business a success, and constantly second-guessing yourself. But guess what? You're not alone. Be in the Room is a community for female entrepreneurs, founded by Ryann Dowdy, where you can share your struggles and triumphs, vent about the challenges you're facing, and get advice and support from other female leaders. Whether you're just starting out on your entrepreneurial journey or you're a seasoned pro, Be in the Room has room for you to be who you want to be. So come on in and join the conversation!

beintheroom.org