The Startup Sessions with Michael Knouse

“Stop telling people you’re going to charge what you’re worth and instead, charge what your work is worth.”

This was the simple yet brilliant advice from my guest this week, Tara Gentile.

Tara Gentile is a brilliant business strategist that helps small business owners capitalize on their big ideas. And today’s episode contains some incredible strategy + actionable guidance on leveraging the ‘You Economy’, developing a strategy for taking things off your plate and finding focus, and quantifying what you can charge for your work.

As Tara will admit, she doesn’t hold back, and that’s what I love about her. She believes that making money in your business should be beautiful and that we all have the capacity to tap into our own unique abilities and the resources around us to create something amazing.

This is one of my favorite quotes from Tara and I think it really represents her love of business and her obsession with helping people in the creator culture…

Enjoy this game-changing episode as one of the very brightest business minds I know gives you all she’s got.

Here are some of Tara’s favorite things:

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

Nurturing our business is something that’s rarely talked about. And lets face it, deciding to launch our ideas out into the world is one of the most courageous yet vulnerable things most of us will ever do.

My guest this week is Hiro Boga. She is a masterful business strategist, teacher, advisor, mentor and writer. Her art is helping others create a loving, creative and prolific partnership with the essence, or soul, of their business.

Hiro has mentored some of todays most recognized and inspiring business leaders, including Jen Louden, Danielle LaPorte, and Pam Slim. She is fiercely dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs reach new levels of creative flow, play, prosperity, productivity and leadership.

Within minutes of speaking to Hiro for the very first time, she shared these profound and powerful words with me…

For those of us who dream to make a difference in the world by offering our skills and talents in the form of a business, Hiro’s wisdom is essential.

In today’s interview, we’ll be diving into what it means to build a business that’s a reflection of your soul and deepest values. And Hiro will discuss how to integrate our values within our businesses so that we are in powerful alignment with our work.

Enjoy this one of a kind episode as Hiro Boga shares her light, love and wisdom about growing a business creatively and consciously.

Here are some of Hiro’s favorite things:

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

Just a few years ago, Marni Renison resigned from a career she spent over 12 years creating to start a non-profit called The FIT Project. Now she spends her time helping connect the underprivileged to resources in the community that educate on fitness, nutrition and overall wellness.

She did it to expand professionally, meet a need in her community and answer what felt like a calling.

Marni is a shining example of someone that listened to that little voice inside that asks us to be more, do more and chose the path that makes us feel most alive.

If you’ve been ignoring that voice inside that’s calling you to do something different or wondering if you’re brave enough to start something that really makes a difference in the world, then you’re going to absolutely love this episode.

Here are some of Marni’s favorite things:

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

Successful people start before they feel ready.

Don’t wait until you’ve got your ducks in a row. Dive in now.

Have you ever asked a friend who’s an aspiring artist or entrepreneur how they’re doing on a project they’re excited about?

More often than not you get the answer, “I’m getting ready to start on it.” Or, “I’m working on the outline.” Or how about, “I’ve got a little more research to do.”

My guest for today shares how she has written best-selling books, become a sought after public speaker, and grown a highly successful company in the handmade business niche by taking risks and starting before she was ready.

Kari Chapin is the author of The Handmade Marketplace and Grow Your Handmade Business. Both books are designed to help people get closer to making their creative business dreams come true. Kari’s inspirational style and ability to break down daunting information into understandable content have also made her a popular speaker at conferences and events across the US.

It is Kari’s stated mission to “do all she can to help people do work they like and to make a life they love.”

Enjoy to this game-changing episode as Kari shares her story about building an unconventional business by trusting her gut and doing the work she loves.

Here are some of Kari’s favorite things:

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

Being happy and fulfilled shouldn’t be determined by your age or the stage of your career.

Today’s guest proves that we can be fully alive and using our talents and experience to have an impact at any stage of our career.

Jeannie Coyle is 69 years young and she’s one of the most engaging and passionate entrepreneurs that I know. In this episode we discuss how to embrace career resets, what it means to be a disruptor, and the myth of retirement.

Jeannie is the Founder and President of Worktelligence, where she helps today’s executives and leaders manage the talent within their organizations to close the gap between market demands and employee performance. Jeannie told me that her true desire is to remove more of those ‘Dilbert Moments’ from the business culture.

Jeannie is co-author of Make Talent Your Business. She also writes blogs, articles and other media to sharpen her learning and share her insights. She has taught at the MBA programs for Portland State University and Marylhurst University and is on the faculty of Athena Online.

Listen in as we dive into some fascinating topics that are applicable to leaders, entrepreneurs and employees alike.

Here are some of Jeannie’s favorite things:

Show Highlights

Enjoy!

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

Who says you can’t do what you love?

For anyone who argues that it’s not possible to do work you love, Ashley Rose Salvitti would beg to differ. She’s here to tell her story about following her passion for all things beer, buying a short bus and starting a craft beer tour company from scratch.

Three years ago Ashley Rose Salvitti decided that Portland was in need of a better way of getting both tourists and locals around the city’s best breweries and brewpubs. Beginning with just an idea and a lot of determination, Ashley started her business from nothing and quickly grew it to become the ultimate craft beer tour experience.

Now three years later, BREWVANA has a fleet of three buses, several employees, and a growing business that puts a smile on Ashley’s face every day.

Ashley joins me from Brewvana HQ for a fantastic discussion about what it takes to bootstrap a business from the ground up and serve your customers like nobody’s business.

Listen in as Ashley shares her story about chasing a dream, building a small company and moving forward in the face of uncertainty and doubt.

Here are some of Ashley’s favorite things:

Enjoy!

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

This week I’m thrilled to be back with part 2 of the interview with Meg Worden. Part 1 of this interview was a huge hit so I’m excited for the conclusion.

In part 2, you’ll hear Meg talk about the tangible and soul-level benefits of gradually opening and unfolding, consciously divulging, and owning the story of your life. This process may be the most liberating practice you’ll ever learn.

It’s the same process that made it possible for Meg to move from judgment, through curiosity and into grace.

Learning to tell your story in an authentic and discerning way will allow you to connect with family, friends, customers, and leaders with a level of humanness that is rarely witnessed. Skillfully sharing your tenderness with thoughtful, directed intention will always sow the seeds of deep unity and respect.

Listen in as Meg shows us how to tell our lives, not as a grief story with moments of love, but as love story, with the inevitable moments of grief. It’s a beautiful process and something that every person, entrepreneur or business builder can benefit from.

Here are some of Meg’s favorite things:

Meg Worden is a dynamic writer, speaker and coach that works with entrepreneurs and influencers about overcoming shame and shifting perceptions. She teaches people how to tell their lives, not as a grief story with moments of love, but as love story, with the inevitable moments of grief. Meg knows that it’s possible to move from judgment, through curiosity and into grace.

Enjoy!

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

Meg Worden and I met at a book signing event in Portland this spring where we easily connected. There was something incredibly heartfelt and meaningful about the way she related to me.

Since then, I’ve enthusiastically supported Meg and the incredible work that she offers to the world.

And in case your wondering – the reason that I’m such a huge fan is because of Meg’s ability to make a heartfelt connection with me early on. The bottom line is that she’s smart, funny, and she tells the truth in a way that grips your soul.

Meg has an incredible story of hope, resilience, and reinvention. In this interview, you’ll hear how Meg overcame the adversity of spending two years in federal prison and re-emerging as a masterful writer, speaker, teacher, coach, and influencer.

She helps people own their stories and ditch their shame so that they can serve the world by connecting to humanity in a way that’s unmistakably and authentically real.

Connecting with others in a meaningful way will separate you from the masses, in both business and in life. Listen as Meg tells her moving story while also introducing you to the skills of creating more meaningful connections.

Meg Worden is a dynamic writer, speaker and coach that works with entrepreneurs and influencers about overcoming shame and shifting perceptions. She teaches people how to tell their lives, not as a grief story with moments of love, but as love story, with the inevitable moments of grief. Meg knows that it’s possible to move from judgement, through curiosity and into grace.

Enjoy!

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

My guest this week has made a career out of creativity. As an artist, social supercollider, and self-described geek for over a decade, Willo O’ Brien has a passion for empowering fellow creative entrepreneurs.

Willo has succeeded as a creative entrepreneur for the past decade. She’s founded three creative businesses, served as co-founder of two startups, and launched multiple courses & coaching programs dedicated to empowering individuals and entrepreneurs to feel alive while doing what they love.

In this episode, Willo unleashes a bounty of actionable advice about thriving while doing work you care deeply about. Her knowledge and authenticity will inspire you to become the creative super hero that you are meant to be.

Here are some of Willo’s favorite things:

Is it time to flex your creative muscle and build the business that you know you are capable of building? Listen in as Willo helps you lay the foundation for thriving as a creative entrepreneur.

Enjoy!

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.

12 years ago, Steve was working as a network administrator at a big corporation in Boston, MA. Steve says, “I was a very opinionated and materialistic person with a huge ego and I thought being successful meant having a 9 to 5 and making a ton of money. I never shared my feelings or insecurities because I was scared of how I would look to others.”

Steve quit his 9 to 5 in 2002 and started traveling all over the world. Steve got into photography while rock climbing in France. He was photographing people rock climbing and was immediately inspired by everything that he was capturing.

“Even if you hands are shaking, and your faith is broken. Even as the eyes are closing, do it with a heart wide open. 

– Say by John Mayer

Fast forward to 2010, when Steve was talking with his friend Amanda about his idea of sharing peoples insecurities without literally showing them and how he could possibly turn it into an empowering photography project

Steve decided that night that he wanted to photograph Amanda with her insecurity written somewhere on her face or hands as a way to boldly displaying her greatest insecurity on her skin and fearlessly stare into the lens for a powerful headshot. He wrote “thunder thighs” on Amanda’s hand, alongside the photograph she came up with the statement, “I am not my body image.” And thus, the “What I Be” project was born.

As promised in the episode, here’s my photo from the “What I Be Project”

“I am not my profession”

Today, the “What I Be Project” is a global movement about honesty and empowerment. Steve started the project in hopes to open up the lines of communication, and to help everyone accept diversity with an open mind & heart and empower those who feel they suffer for something they may see as a flaw.

It’s truly an honor to be featuring Steve and his work on this show.

If you’re waiting for someone to give you permission to go and live a more meaningful life, maybe it’s time to look within and ask what contribution the world wants from you.

Enjoy!

If you prefer audio only, you can subscribe and listen to The Startup Sessions podcast on iTunes! 

P.S. What did you find most helpful in this episode? I’d love to hear your remarks or questions in the ‘comments’ section below!