The Stanza

By The StanzaBusiness

The Stanza episodes

October 26, 2023011 Building a career as a world class magician & performer with Anna DeGuzman
Subscribe to The Stanza, a weekly journal for investors & entrepreneurs in the creative industries https://www.thestanzamedia.com

*Check out which of your favorite hospitality brands use Peoplevine, the best CRM tool for the best private members clubs, luxury hotels, and restaurants. You can also book a free demo for your hospitality business: https://www.peoplevine.com

Today's guest is Anna DeGuzman, who is truly one of a kind. She's a magician who's performed on America's Got Talent recently, in front of celebrity judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara, but also in front of millions of people watching around the world. Even though she's an accomplished magician at such a young age, she's genuinely a warm person and I loved learning about how she's built a non traditional career on her own terms and how she manages to perform in front of such a large audience. If you're a performer of any kind, or aspiring to be, you're going to love this episode.

Episode Highlights:
How Anna became a magician

Being a public person

Handling online criticism

Pursuing the non-traditional route

Dealing with career uncertainty and inconsistent traction

Mindset when performing for celebrities & on big stages

Connect with Anna on IG (@annadeguzman) or TikTok (@annadeguz)

Follow The Stanza on IG or TikTok (@thestanzamedia)

*This episode is sponsored by Peoplevine
40 min
October 19, 2023010 Building a successful leather goods brand from scratch
Subscribe to The Stanza, a newsletter for investors & entrepreneurs in the creative industries: https://www.thestanzamedia.com

Today's guest is Nika Diamond Krendel, who founded Paradise Row, a London-based leather goods brand. Paradise Row has been featured in in Vogue, the Financial Times, Harper's Bazaar, and more, and she's also done a collaboration with Soho Home's
flagship store on King's Road. In addition to her consumer facing business, Nika also has a B2B business where she produces bespoke products for some of the UK's most prestigious projects, such as Knightsbridge Gardens and Estelle Manor. I chatted with Nika to learn how she built her brand from scratch - quite literally as she talks about how she didn't have any connections in the
interior design world prior to starting her brand. She shares a lot of really great insights in the episode for any brand founder listening, and I hope you'll enjoy this episode.
Episode Highlights:
Transitioning from the corporate world to leather goods

Paradise Row's production process

Building a B2B business alongside D2C

How Nika landed a collaboration with Soho Home Interiors

How to get great press & visibility for your brand

Advice for entrepreneurs just starting out
28 min
October 12, 2023009 Lessons learned thus far from building a brand through social media
Subscribe to The Stanza, a newsletter for investors & entrepreneurs in the creative industries https://www.thestanzamedia.com

Today's guest is yours truly. It's time to check in with a solo episode answering some of your questions submitted via instagram.

Episode highlights:
Dealing with unforeseen challenges & pivots

Creating a brand as a founder on social media

Why I'm grateful for my finance experience

Realizations after leaving the corporate world

Thoughts on SKKY Partners

Regrets in career

Follow The Stanza on TikTok & IG: @thestanzamedia
23 min
October 05, 2023008 Investing in & curating beautiful residences
Subscribe to The Stanza, a newsletter for investors & entrepreneurs in the creative industries. Sent every Friday: https://thestanza.beehiiv.com

For those creating pitch decks or presentations, use Gamma for your next one and track who's viewing your deck and which slides they're spending the most time on ;) https://try.gamma.app/thestanzapodcast
Episode Highlights
Transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship

Buying the first rental property

Innovating in the mid-term rental sector

The residential membership model

Entrepreneurship & delayed gratification

Dealing with negative people

Starting an interiors design business
Check out Guesthouse here: https://www.guest-house.co
Connect with Gabriela on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriela-chapa/

Follow The Stanza on TikTok & IG: @thestanzamedia
46 min
September 28, 2023007 Building a members club in Lisbon
Subscribe to The Stanza, a newsletter for investors & entrepreneurs in the creative industries. Sent every Friday: https://thestanza.beehiiv.com

For those creating pitch decks or presentations, use Gamma for your next one and track who's viewing your deck and which slides they're spending the most time on ;) https://try.gamma.app/thestanzapodcast

Nik Ueker is a German tech entrepreneur who left London for Lisbon, and co-founded Ninho, a beautiful members club. In this episode, we chat openly about the challenges of building a business in a foreign country as well as the unique challenges of the members club business.

Episode Highlights:
The founding story behind Ninho

The macro trends driving Lisbon's growth

Attracting the right member demographic

Challenges unique to members club businesses

Navigating Portuguese bureaucracy

Innovating on the membership model

Thoughts on pricing memberships

Check out Ninho: https://ninho.io
Follow Ninho on IG: @weareninho

Follow The Stanza on IG & TikTok: @thestanzamedia
32 min
September 14, 2023005 Developing hospitality real estate
Today's guest is real estate developer & hospitality entrepreneur Max Rodman. Max cut his teeth at Round Hill Capital, an institutional real estate private equity fund based in London, where he also invested in prop tech venture deals. Max is currently a founder of Breezy Capital based out of Lisbon and is developing Fabrica, an aparthotel project in the up and coming Setubal region.

Thank you to Gamma AI for sponsoring this episode. Gamma is simply the best tool for creating decks with ease. Try it for free: https://try.gamma.app/thestanzapodcast

Episode Highlights:
Developing a hospitality project in Portugal

Insights from fundraising as a real estate developer

Raising for individual deals vs. raising a fund

Transitioning from institutional finance to entrepreneurship

Advice for making that jump

Subscribe to The Stanza, a weekly newsletter for investors & entrepreneurs in the creative industries: https://www.thestanzamedia.com

More on Breezy Capital: https://breezy-capital.com
Connect with Max: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxrodman/
Follow The Stanza on TikTok and IG (@thestanzamedia)
31 min
September 07, 2023004 Building a home-sharing community
Today's guest is Zach Bell, the founder of Myplace, a home sharing platform that connects people within 2 degrees of each other. Zach founded Myplace based on the principles of sharing-based exchange and has built an impressive global community over the past 4 years.

Thank you to Gamma AI for sponsoring this episode. Gamma is simply the best tool for creating decks. Try it here: https://try.gamma.app/thestanzapodcast

Episode highlights:
Enabling people to live a multi-location lifestyle

The future of mobility and travel

Sharing-based vs profit-based exchange

Thoughts on monetization

Building a product based on trust

Advice for entrepreneurs building communities
Join Myplace and see which friends are sharing their homes:
MyPlace -- Host & Stay With Friends
Subscribe to The Stanza, a weekly newsletter for investors & entrepreneurs in the creative industries: www.thestanzamedia.com
Connect with me on TikTok or IG (@thestanzamedia)
50 min
August 24, 2023003 Opening a Restaurant in LA
Subscribe to The Stanza's weekly digest, sent every Friday (it's free).
Today's guest is Chloe Makhani, founder of LA's chicest new Mediterranean hotspot, Casalena. If you live in LA, you may have been to Stanley Social or Members in Hollywood, also founded by Chloe. This episode is a look into opening a restaurant, curating a hospitality brand, and investing in LA restaurant real estate. If you've ever been curious about what it takes to run a restaurant, you'll love this episode.

Episode Highlights
How Chloe's institutional experience at Starwood prepared her for hospitality entrepreneurship

Creating a dining experience inspired by European resort culture

Curating a restaurant brand

The hardest part of opening a restaurant

Selecting an executive chef & designing the menu

Working with siblings

Managing a portfolio of hospitality real estate in LA

Advice for other entrepreneurs

Book a table at Casalena here
The Stanza on Instagram and TikTok
32 min
August 17, 2023Building a Mezcal Brand
Subscribe to The Stanza's weekly digest, sent every Friday: www.thestanzamedia.com

Find Mezcal Xaman: www.mezcalxaman.com
Connect with Mezcal Xaman on IG: @mezcal.xaman

Episode highlights:

Navigating challenges unique to producing & selling mezcal

Bringing Mezcal Xaman to European markets

Competing against large brands

Hosting exclusive "mini-festivals" to market the brand

Building relationships with bartenders to grow brand awareness

Advice for new alcohol entrepreneurs

Connect with me on IG/TikTok @thestanzamedia
37 min
August 10, 2023 Embrace the cringe.
Hello everyone, and welcome to The Stanza.
I thought I'd start the show with a solo episode introducing myself and The Stanza. I chat about how my recent career failure led me to start The Stanza and some valuable lessons I learned in the 18 month transition from finance to entrepreneurship. Thank you for tuning in and supporting the show :)
Enjoy,
N

Subscribe to the weekly journal: www.thestanzamedia.com
Connect with me on IG/TikTok: @thestanzamedia
18 min