Jessica Hinton of Empress Stationery is back on the Localist podcast with a mini episode! Jessica was in the wedding industry for a decade before getting married and ultimately bringing her husband on board to work with Empress. We talk about the huge life shift she experienced in the early days of Empress, and how being single impacted her work. Working with a spouse is not for everyone, but Jessica breaks down how bringing her husband into her business has helped her — and her business — thrive. Full show notes at LocalistPodcast.com. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Empress Stationery 

Kelly Cummings - Spindle Photography 

Empress Stationery on the Localist podcast 

Empress Stationery on Instagram 

CarrieRollwagen.com

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram

Jessica Hinton, creative director & founder of Empress Stationery, is on the podcast this week to dive into growing her business, social media strategy, time management, and more. Empress started out as a side hustle, but quickly became her passion. Jessica dives into how Empress became her main hustle, how her focus has evolved over the years, and how she navigated the early days of Instagram. Jessica and a fellow entrepreneur developed a hugely successful internship handbook, and she details her strategy with interns now and how that has changed over the years. Full show notes at LocalistPodcast.com. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Empress Stationery

Empress Stationery on Instagram

Rotary Trail 

Emily Wells Design 

Mallory Webb of Daughters Baking on the Localist podcast 

Cars

Empress Stationery on Pinterest 

BhamNow 

HoneyBook 

Fetch Marketing

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram Buy Us a Coffee! 

We’ve got a short and sweet mini episode for you with Jimmy Truong of June Roasters! Jimmy was on the podcast last week and got into the details of the coffee world, but we didn’t get to cover pop ups. Jimmy kindly chatted with us for a few minutes about the ins and outs of pop ups: how he ran his, his process and equipment, and what he learned from doing them. Full show notes at LocalistPodcast.com. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Queen’s Park 

Punch Love Coffee 

Automatic Seafood and Oysters 

La Marzocco Linea Mini

Mahlkonig EK43S Grinder

Publix 

Matty Matheson 

CarrieRollwagen.com

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram

This week Jimmy Truong, owner and founder of June Roasters, joins the podcast to dive into the world of coffee! June Roasters started out as Epilogue and mostly focused on wholesale, but Jimmy knew a change was inevitable. He describes that process as well as the meaning behind the name June and what he envisions for the future. Mistakes are also inevitable, and Carrie and Jimmy talk about the mistakes Jimmy made early on (he now encourages everyone to get a lawyer from the beginning!). Jimmy describes how he is preparing to be a boss and how he hopes to involve his staff in the business. Full show notes at LocalistPodcast.com. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

June Roasters

David Baker Architects

Golden Age Wine 

Golden Age Wine on the Localist podcast 

Alex Joganic 

Church Street Coffee and Books 

La Marzocco Espresso Machine

The Great Game of Business

Piper & Leaf Tea Co. 

Piper & Leaf Tea Co on the Localist podcast 

Little Professor 

Jonathan Robinson of Little Professor on the Localist podcast 

Locke General Contractors

General 

Punch Love Coffee

Mom’s Basement 

Revelator Coffee (formerly Octane Coffee)

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram

Buy Us a Coffee! 

This week, Carrie is diving into how to get back on track (and how to find a track if you didn’t have one to begin with!). Going beyond just Googling for tips, Carrie breaks down actual strategies and ways to implement them, including how to identify what you’re actually struggling with and defining your vision. Inspiration and motivation are incredibly important but can be elusive, so Carrie has tips for finding those, too!  Full show notes at LocalistPodcast.com.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Buy Us a Coffee!  

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram 

The 12 Week Year Book

Morgan Johnston’s first Localist episode

Morgan Johnston’s second Localist episode 

Robin Arzon on Instagram 

Eating the Frog

Eating the Elephant 

Morgan Johnston on Instagram

@CRollwagen on Instagram 

CarrieRollwagen.com

Wess Gregg, co-owner of Sanctum Tattoos and Comics, is on the podcast this week to give us a peek behind the curtain of running a comic shop. Wess describes how his years of experience in the comic book world gave him an advantage when opening Sanctum, but also shares the areas where he needed some guidance. Wess and Carrie then get into how he and his business partner, Aaron, manage running two separate businesses under the same roof (and LLC), and what surprised Wess about owning a business. They wrap up with the logistics of a comic book shop and a few services Sanctum offers. Full show notes at localistpodcast.com. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Sanctum Tattoo and Comics 

Cave 9

Church Street Coffee and Books 

The Plague 

Ninja Turtles comic books 

Diamond Comic Distributors 

Saturn 

Yellowhammer Creative

Tiger King 

Seasick Records 

Shopify 

Sandman Volume 1 

Lion and Unicorn 

Detective Comics #1036 

Dazzler #1

West Coast Avengers

Loki on Disney+

CarrieRollwagen.com

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram 

Buy Us a Coffee 

Michael Kierspe of Infomedia joins Carrie to dive into the world of digital marketing. We may have a love-hate relationship with digital marketing, but it’s a necessary evil. Approaching it with authenticity in your business is a gamechanger, and Michael breaks down how to do that, the dos and don’ts of getting started, and how to work with the algorithms. We also get into how to best manage your digital assets, what to expect if you want to work with an agency, and give actionable tips to improve your social presence. Full show notes at LocalistPodcast.com.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Infomedia 

Uptick Marketing

Church Street Coffee and Books 

Facebook Business Manager

LastPass

Michael Stuckey on the Localist Podcast 

Should I use a password manager? on One Quick Question 

1Password 

Canva 

Shopify

BigCommerce

Magento

Fiverr 

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram  @CRollwagen on Instagram 

This week Dr. Bertha Hidalgo, epidemiologist, assistant professor, associate scientist, and influencer joins Carrie to dive into influencing in the time of covid. Dr. Hidalgo breaks down how she got started in social media and how her platform started evolving, even before the pandemic. Dr. Hidalgo isn’t a stranger to imposter syndrome and describes how she moved past that and embraced her role as a science educator. Dr. Hidalgo shares how she deals with backlash, trolls, and stepping away when social media becomes too much. Full show notes at localistpodcast.com.  

Mentioned in this episode: 

Dr. Bertha Hidalgo on Instagram

ChicinAcademia.com

Karina Dresses

Ed Yong of The Atlantic 

New England Journal of Medicine 

Dr. Fauci on NPR’s 1A

A Pep Talk for Small Businesses During Quarantine 

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram

LocalistPodcast.com

With the 4th of July holiday upon us, Carrie is diving into best practices for communicating with your customers and clients around holiday hours. The more your customers understand what to expect, the more likely they are to buy from you! Carrie breaks down exactly what you can say in your social posts and gives easy and actionable tips to beef up your online presence. There’s even a free, no-strings-attached download available to make everything easier! Full show notes at localistpodcast.com.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Canva 

Unsplash 

Google My Business

CarrieRollwagen.com

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram 

Buy Me a Coffee 

Ace Graham, founder of lifestyle brand, retail store, and community hub Alchemy, joins Carrie to talk about building an authentic social and community brand. Ace details how Alchemy came to be after he ran several other businesses and consulted for years, and how he landed in Birmingham. Alchemy is a community-focused business and nonprofit, complete with 501c3 status, and Ace and Carrie go into the many ways Alchemy is serving the Birmingham community as well as how you can get involved. Full show notes at localistpodcast.com.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Alchemy

Alchemy on Instagram

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell 

Riverchase Galleria 

Western Hills Mall 

5 Points South 

The 12 Week Year 

Trattoria Zaza 

The Pizitz

Eric Bennett 

Forstall Art Center

Bistro 218 

Filter Coffee Parlor 

Church Street Coffee and Books 

@AlchemyCares On Instagram

@AlchemyRunCrew On Instagram

Trak Shak 

Insomnia Cookies

Surin West 

Pancake House 

Highlands Bar and Grill 

Buy Carrie a Coffee

@ThinkLocalist on Instagram

@crollwagen on Instagram

CarrieRollwagen.com