Today our guest is Ray Wilcox who is the Executive Director of Yonkers Arts and the Co-Founder of the PowerLab, a Co-Working Facility and Incubator dedicated to providing our underserved communities with business and financial literacy resources.

In this episode, Ray talks about his transition from a career in corporate to starting his own company, moving into the non-profit world from a for-profit, the importance of building relationships, and the opportunities for artists and creative entrepreneurs in the City of Yonkers due to the work of Yonkers Arts.

Ray is recognized by the state, Westchester County, and the city of Yonkers for his leadership and community impact. He is a Business Council of Westchester 40 Under 40 ” Rising Star awardee, a mentor, and has been dedicated to social justice throughout his career.

About Yonkers Arts

Connect with Ray & Yonkers Arts

https://www.linkedin.com/in/raywilcox/

https://www.yonkersarts.org/

https://www.instagram.com/yonkersarts/

https://www.facebook.com/thepowerlabny/

About GaelVentures

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

Our guest today is Tina Steffen, Founder and Chief Mess Maker at Unleashed Creative Studio, which Tina created to help people discover or re-discover their creativity in a stress-free, judgment-free, and drama-free environment, one messy project at a time.

In this episode, we explore the backstory of Unleashed Creative Studio, the value of working with a business coach, but most importantly, we discuss imposter syndrome and how to push through it as an entrepreneur.

Connect with Tina and learn more about Unleashed Creative Studio:

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

Our guest for Episode 8 is Dr. Marci Klein, who is the Co-Founder of 3DuxDesign a cardboard modeling system that incorporates community-centered design projects and inspires students to imaginatively and practically think through solutions to real-world problems they see around them. Today she shares the story of how she started 3DuxDesign with her two kids, the importance of letting a small business grow at its own pace, and getting your product out in the market to find the right product market fit.

Marci is a clinical and academic pediatrician with over 25 years of experience in early childhood development, education, and social/emotional health. She transitioned into education 6 years ago with a goal to create more engaging, deeper, and authentic learning opportunities for all children.

For more information about Marci and 3DuxDesign:

STEM Modeling Materials for Children 4-12 at Home and in School – 3DuxDesign

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

Our guest for this episode is Erica Soto, the founder of Enjoy Erica Art Studio and a self-taught artist who has been creating professional works since 2004, and is also a certified Therapeutic Art Life Coach who is passionate about making art accessible to everyone. Erica shares her experiences starting her business, the importance of taking advantage of the free resources available to entrepreneurs, her experiences in the Launch1000 incubator program, and more.

Connect with Erica:

Enjoy Erica Art Studio

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

In this episode, Riana and I are joined by Joanna Falisi, who is an alum of Iona, graduating with degrees in entrepreneurship and economics. She discusses life after graduation and her entrepreneurial background in starting an ice skating instruction business for kids. Joanna also shares her experience in the GaelVentures Incubator and the relationships built working with mentors and her peers in the program.

Connect with Joanna on LinkedIn

Joanna Falisi | LinkedIn

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

Our guest is Jorge Ventura, the Deputy Commissioner of Development for the Department of Development for the City of New Rochelle, New York. Today he discusses the small business landscape in New Rochelle, particularly the opportunities created with the huge development projects going on in the city. Jorge also talks about the resources available to small businesses.

Jorge is a Dominican architect with a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Tech as a Fulbright Scholar. His professional experience ranges from architectural projects to urban, regional, and national scale projects, as well as economic development, both in the Dominican Republic and the US.

After working for two years in New York City’s Department of City Planning as an urban designer and city planner, Jorge moved to New Rochelle, NY. He is currently the Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development at the Department of Development in the City of New Rochelle, NY.

For more information about small business support in New Rochelle:

New Rochelle, NY | Official Website (newrochelleny.com)Development | New Rochelle, NY (newrochelleny.com)How to Start Your Business in (newrochelleny.com)

Mariana Jusufaj

Business Liaison/MWBE Coordinator

914-654-2193

[email protected]

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

Our guest for Episode 4 is Federico Ruso, an Alumni of Iona, professional soccer player, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he came to the US after finishing high school, playing professional soccer, and representing his country at the youth level. Federico was the captain of the soccer team during his senior year at Iona, and in this role, he led the team to its second conference final in program history. Federico graduated with a double major in Business Management and Entrepreneurship.

Federico discusses the challenges he faced post-graduation after sustaining an injury that interrupted his soccer career, and how he used his time in recovery to pivot and discover a passion for supporting other aspiring professional athletes.

For more information about Federico:

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

Today's Guest is Andrea Haynes, Director of Economic Development for the City of Mount Vernon, who explore the fantastic opportunities that Mt Vernon has to offer business owners. We discuss Mt Vernon's strong sense of community and the support available from the city for aspiring business owners.

Born and raised in Co-Op City, Andrea has always had a passion for developing dynamic urban communities. Andrea’s role as the Director of Economic Development for the City of Mount Vernon is dedicated to developing revenue-generating opportunities for business owners and operators throughout the city.

In her former role as Project Manager for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, Andrea provided project management for a mayoral team dedicated to assisting minority-owned businesses and the people who work for them.

For more information about Mt Vernon Economic Development:

https://www.cmvny.com/623/Economic-Development

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

Today our guest is Lauren Cruz, who discusses her transition from the military to starting her own coaching business to serve U.S. Service Members and Veterans and help them transition into the civilian workforce.

Lauren is a Veteran graduate of the United States Naval Academy During her career in the U.S. Navy, she worked for the White House Communications Agency in Washington, D.C., where she led teams on weekly domestic and international missions as they built a secure communications environment for the President of the United States (POTUS) his support staff and the U.S. Secret Service.

Lauren has been taking advantage of the free business coaching through the Community Navigator Pilot Program here at Iona, which offers free small business education and services for military-connected entrepreneurs. The program is supported by the Small Business Administration in partnership with Syracuse University's Institue for Veteran and Military Families. To learn more, visit https://www.iona.edu/academics/schools-institutes/hynes-institute-entrepreneurship-innovation/sba-community-navigator

For more information about Lauren and her coaching practice:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-cruz-cams-74819ab4/

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes

In our first-ever episode of the GaelVentures podcast, we are joined by John Jones, an Army veteran who is on a quest to help the youth of today learn essential life skills and avoid the mistakes that he made as a young person. His business, Teaching Our Youth Skills, or TOYS for short, offers workshops on a variety of topics including financial literacy, credit, and interview readiness. In this episode, John discusses his experience in developing his business.

John has been taking advantage of the free business coaching through the Community Navigator Pilot Program here at Iona, which offers free small business education and services for military-connected entrepreneurs. The program is supported by the Small Business Administration in partnership with Syracuse University's Institue for Veteran and Military Families. To learn more, visit https://www.iona.edu/academics/schools-institutes/hynes-institute-entrepreneurship-innovation/sba-community-navigator

For more information about T.O.Y.S.:

Teaching Our Youth Skills (educationbytoys.carrd.co)

[email protected]

(914) 432-2238

T.O.Y.S (@teachingouryouthskills) • Instagram photos and videos

GaelVentures is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's community incubator at Iona University. The Hynes Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for the development of creativity and leadership skills critical for success in a global economy. Learn how to take your ideas from concept to execution. Take a course on the entrepreneurial mindset, attend a guest lecture, and collaborate with peers and mentors in our coworking space.

This podcast is made available through the generosity of Jim and Anne Marie Hynes