Gift Biz Unwrapped | Women Entrepreneurs | Bakers, Crafters, Makers | Startup

Jennifer Dunham is the founder of Profitable Lifestyle Live and owner of Time, Money & Happiness Matters. As a Profitable Lifestyle designer, Jennifer helps driven professionals love their career and fully love their lives. With over 20 years experience running her information technology firm, designing systems and operating procedures, it's easy to see why Jennifer's approach is rooted in her IT background. She's a believer in automation, habits, repeatable processes and streamlining to reduce overwhelm so you can focus on what matters most. She teaches her clients how to find more time, so they can make more money and increase their happiness. Business Building Insights If you’re not in action, if you’re not doing, if you’re not trying then you are not learning. Celebrate your results. Cheerfully acknowledging failure shows you stepped out of your comfort and courage zone. Celebrating your wins creates a positive connection to your brain. Every failure and success is a win and lots of little win

Holmes Sweet Home is a confections company that crafts gourmet nut brittles and caramel sauces. Sam started experimenting with sugar cooking in her 5th grade science class. Enamored by how simple table sugar can be transformed into so many treats, she continued to hone her skills over the next 25 years. After leading sales teams in a Fortune 1000 company, she combined what she learned in Corporate America with lessons gleaned at her grandmother's hip to create a very special business. Today you can find Holmes Sweet Home products in bakeries, coffee shops, candy stores, specialty gift stores and coming soon, wineries! Business Building Insights In entrepreneurial life there are myriad of opportunities that come your way. Focus on what's going well despite the challenges. Explore ideas and let them unfold as you create your business. Never structure your business as a hobby. Take steps to make sure it will have longevity and room to grow. Believe in your product and identify what way(s) it's differ

Alesia is an e-commerce business strategist. She helps physical product sellers increase their revenue, improve profit margins and bring home more cash while creating a sustainable business. After six years in the manufacturing and packaging industry, Alesia's learned a thing or two about how to work with international and domestic vendors, make strategic production plans, analyze trends and utilize marketing strategies. This is what she brings to assist product-based businesses. Alesia lives in North Carolina with her fellow nerd husband, two wild boys and a rescue dog. She loves all things savory - cue the lasagna and glass of Cab. Business Building Insights As a business owner, you must watch your numbers. See where dollars are being tied up in inventory, how actions affect the bottom line and keep your overall costs in check. Have a plan for safety stock during the holidays. You don't want to miss out on sales growth because you don't have the materials or product to sell. A strategy to consider

Blingzy™ is the clever way to store or bring your bling wherever you go. It's a unique jewelry carrier solution that is made of a patented combination of materials - a gorgeous fabric on the outside and a special grippy liner on the inside. It all started just 5 years ago when Pamela lost her job. She decided to make a huge career shift toward giving back in a more personal way. So she founded Simply Sown, a for-purpose, socially conscious business. Its purpose is to provide flexible sewing income opportunities for women in need. The tagline, "sewing seeds of kindness," reinforces the ripple effect of women helping women. She wanted to launch her jewelry carrier invention, Blingzy™, but needed the right someone to sew it. Fortuitously, she met Sr. Jean and Sr. Sheila from Hope House at a garage sale where they were selling a sewn tote bag. It was a magical meeting and they became Pamela's first partner. The run a safe house for trafficked women and four of the women sew Blingzy™. Business Building Insigh

Larry of Funnier By The Lake has been writing jokes and making people laugh his entire life. Growing up north of Chicago, in Wilmette, Illinois, what interest and talent Larry lacked in sports, he made up for with a passion for stand up comedians, and characters from movies and television, of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Larry was a remarkably horrible high school and college student, and he often says that if those years were a book, it would be titled, Fear and Loathing on Campus. Larry’s stand-up comedy springs from a lifetime of experiences and a view of the world seen through a comedian’s filter, in which humor can be found in everything and nothing is off-limits — unless it’s not funny. He can be seen performing on stage throughout the Chicago area. Through Funnier By The Lake Comedy, Larry has made it his mission to bring live comedy to the North Shore. Business Building Insights Play with what you’ve got to survive. For maximum impact, you've got to be memorable. Know your audience well so you can

The founder, president and head beekeeper of Savannah Bee Company is Ted Dennard. Growing up in Coastal Georgia, Ted’s journey into the magical world of bees and honey was sparked by an elderly beekeeper, Roy Hightower, who believed in beekeeping as a way of life. Even after 35 years, Ted’s passion hasn’t waned a bit. He backed into business in 1999 when his friend opened a store in Savannah and began selling his Tupelo Honey. Three years later, Savannah Bee Company was officially born. Today, Ted remains dedicated to sharing the world of bees with others and introducing new honeybee products to market. Kristen, who is joining me here today, has worked with the company for over 9 years focusing on the independent retail, gift basket, international and corporate gift accounts. Business Building Insights Reach out and talk to people to understand their perspective about your company. Learn how the product worked for them and how you can improve your services. Always follow up on a warm lead. Make sure

Oksana is the owner and designer of Oksancia Textile Design Studio and School. Her passion is to help creative people express their vision and connect with their customers by creating unique and beautiful repeat patterns and collections for their products. Oksana has a Master of Arts degree from RUG university in the Netherlands. There she specialized in children’s books and has illustrated two published children’s books. With a portfolio of more than 10,000 vector illustrations and designs, she has collaborated on more than 100 client custom design projects. Her designs can be seen on products that are available at Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and CVS pharmacy. Oksana lives in California with her amazing husband and sweet little girl. Together they love to make arts and crafts, read funny books and travel while collecting creative inspiration and adventures. Business Building Insights Gain product exposure by collaborating with others. Make sure your business fits into your life and includes ti

Sarah started Southern Caramel in 2013 as a way to stay home with her newborn daughter. And as her daughter grew, so did the business. Southern Caramels’ quality comes from the fact that they’re made from scratch using pure ingredients. They’re hand-crafted, hand-cut and hand wrapped too. Additionally, production is done in small batches which maintains a level of consistency and results in a product that makes people say, “Oh, my goodness!” Sarah’s company also aligns with her passion to share. She considers it a joy to give back to many causes with her time, talents, and financial support through the Southern Caramel. When she’s not working, she spends her time with various ministry opportunities that are focused on leading and teaching women and children. She loves to host events, which stems from the same foundation of giving that Southern Caramel is founded on. Business Building Insights Differentiate yourself for maximum impact. Fine tune a recipe or add a unique element to draw attention. Thin

Two sisters in business together! Combining Sarah’s culinary education, and Noelle’s business background, the two put their minds together to create Berra Bites, which are dark chocolate covered fruit centers made with 100% pureed and pressed fruit. Their goal is to create dark chocolate covered fruit bites that are different than the typical fruit and chocolate combos out there. They love combining different types of fruit to make unique combinations that balance perfectly with dark chocolate. In January of this year (2019) they launched their first fruit flavor and chose to use four types of berries to give their customers that pop of berry flavor. Sarah and Noelle’s newest and more exotic flavor, passion fruit and kiwi, brought a new twist on chocolate covered fruit with its strong tropical taste. All Berra Bites are Project Non GMO verified, Kosher, and they only use Fair Trade Cocoa in their chocolate. Business Building Insights Before starting a business, develop your business plan. This initial

Getting the best product photos possible is key to any business. For online shops and social media, your images can make or break the sale. Aaron studied at North Carolina State University and obtained a degree in Industrial Design. Graduating from college, he thought his path was clear to one day becoming an automotive or furniture designer. That is until a six-month-long trip to South America transformed his life forever. It was during this time that he fell in love with photography and its power to both facilitate and share adventures. In 2011, Aaron founded PHLearn to bring free, creative education to anyone around the world. Business Building Insights An e-commerce store is a necessity regardless of your product or service. The best product photos give your customers an idea of how the product is going to work in their life. Consistent design style strengthens your brand. Define and stay with it. A single product photo can make or break the sale. They are that important! Cameras love light

Today’s guest is Marisa Murgatroyd, the founder of Live Your Message and creator of the Experience Product Masterclass, where she helps people who teach online programs get better results for their students faster. Marisa launched her career as an artist who built a mid-seven figure online business (despite being told she had no marketable skills). Since then, she’s shown over 5,000 students how to succeed online, and she’s here today to share a few of her secrets with us. Business Building Insights Shift your focus to what people want to receive and what’s going to support them. The most important moment in your relationship with customers is the moment after they buy from you. Show your customers the path from mission to mission accomplished. The mission should be so clear and specific that you can see someone cross the finish line. There’s an opportunity to teach others the skills you know through creating online training programs. Leverage gamification. Apply game theory and game principles

Packed with Purpose is a specialty gifting company with a social mission. They curate high-quality business and personal gifts that create an impact by sourcing products from purpose-driven organizations. The result is a unique gift experience that leaves a lasting impression. Leeatt was inspired to start Packed with Purpose after serving in the Peace Corps and years in social impact consulting advising C-Suite executives on how to best invest their CSR and marketing dollars. She observed that these companies were spending billions of dollars on client, prospect, and employee gifts that were often unremarkable and sometimes just wasteful. Deciding there needed to be a better way to integrate business strategy and social purpose into gifting, Leeatt founded Packed with Purpose in 2016. Business Building Insights Whatever is on your plate, you can handle it and move forward. Do market research to see if people can relate to your products. Learn from feedback and apply that to your business and produc

Annya (Annie) was born and raised on the beautiful island of Jamaica. Accordingly, she is no stranger to the nourishing, healing power of oils and herbs and has always been a creative soul, with an eye for all things bright ‘n’ bold. When her first daughter, Tiffany was born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, she turned to natural remedies to help her skin because the prescribed medication didn’t work. After trying a variety of natural butters, essential oils and other natural oils, she finally found the remedy for Tiffany’s skin issues. This is how NaturalAnnie Essentials was born. NaturalAnnie Essentials is your island-inspired one-stop-shop for uniquely scented handmade soy candles and bath & body products. They aim to make you and your home look, smell and feel good! Business Building Insights Action over perfection. Go out and do what you know you want to do. Don’t wait for the perfect time. When starting a new business, be honest about whether you really want to do it long term. This shoul

Anna Osborn is the owner of Life Unscripted Counseling and host of the Her Life Unscripted podcast where she focuses on reconnecting couples and inspiring individuals. She helps couples and individuals to improve communication, deepen intimacy and change negative patterns of disconnection in their love relationships. Anna also works with entrepreneurial women to inspire and motivate them to step fully into their voice and live their lives out loud. She believes that your primary relationship can your greatest tool or greatest barrier to success. Business Building Insights Don’t let your fear make decisions for you. Look at fear in the eye and continue walking. The more we become comfortable with the full version of ourselves, the more we crave it. Relationships thrive with safety and stability. When it comes to communication, the closer you get to soft emotions and stay out of the noise in terms of frustration, the more authentic a conversation you’ll have. Be clear about what you need from your

Natalie Gingrich is the founder and host of The Ops Authority. She has been in operations for two decades – either in healthcare, corporate America or as an entrepreneur. Her goal is to bridge the gap and overwhelm when it comes to processes and systems, growing a team, and setting up solid business foundations. Natalie spent 15 years in corporate operations and leadership at a Fortune 150 company. When given the opportunity to leave, she put the knowledge, certifications and experience to work by creating her own consulting firm, as well as a certification. She developed the Director of Operations certification to equip existing ops experts with a flexible profession, outside of corporate but still playing a huge role in small businesses, globally. Business Building Insights Do big things. Have the courage to take a big step forward and leap into whatever adventure is part of your dream. The first step is to determine what you want out of your business. As you grow, build and scale your business, w

Deborah Wasylko is an entrepreneur, engineer, show host and author noted for her work in corporate sales and award-winning gift design at Baskets Galore. Her personal credo is to create a life that she doesn’t want to take a vacation from. Deborah launched Baskets Galore in 2003 and has earned the “Top Corporate Gift Company of the Year” award three years in a row from Cleveland Business Connects magazine. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Sherwin Williams, Moen, Parker Hannifin, the Cleveland Indians, the Cleveland Cavaliers and National Public Radio. She received a U.S. Patent for her unique 360 gift and packaging system. She also is the author of a new sales concept book called the Tasteful Break. The book is designed to give you all the tools and steps you need to grow the corporate side of your business. The busy woman that she is, she find time to host a Saturday morning cable show called Business BEAT. Now in it’s 200th episode. Deborah lives by the ideal that kindness is never fo

kudu-lah, established in 2007, is a husband and wife duo originally based in Brooklyn. Harnessing the power of awesome, Kenny and Jenifer Kudulis, bring you “critters”, their original monster-like characters that are inspired by folks seen traveling through the NYC Subways. Kenny sketches, paints and names all of the characters while Jenifer creates their individual bios. The critters are often seen captured in their Mason Jars or juxtaposed into the couple’s original photography. All pieces are lovingly handmade in Chattanooga by the couple. Business Building Insights Talk about your art to spread the word. You can’t be shy about what you do. It’s okay that some people will take a pass because others will love it! It’s important to find your support person. This should be someone you trust and will be honest yet kind with feedback – someone who truly wants the best for you. Building a business is not just a passion project because it takes time, energy and commitment. When you’re starting out and

CEO of “Sales Maven,” an organization dedicated to authentic selling, Nikki Rausch has the unique ability to transform the misunderstood process of “selling.” Today, entrepreneurs and small business owners from a wide range of disciplines hire Nikki to show them how to sell successfully and authentically, without being pushy or “salesy.” Nikki has just launched her third book: The Selling Staircase: Mastering the Art of Relationship Selling which is available in print, ebook and as an audiobook. Her books are available on Amazon and where most books are sold. Business Building Insights When real conversations happen, real connections happen. That’s why it’s so important to focus on building relationships. That’s where The Selling Staircase comes in. Raise your credibility by being the person people want to engage in conversation. Make it easy for people to remember your name by telling a story of some other “memory clue.” Be completely yourself and don’t try to mimic someone else. Let people see al

When women are finally ready to put on their Big Girl Business Panties and protect their business assets, there is only one woman in the world they can call. Her name is ReeJade Richmond. An acclaimed business and legal strategist, ReeJade is empowering women to embrace their true power bossness, turning their businesses into empires. By taking the complexity out of the legal side of business, with ReeJade, clients soon realize that the epic ideas and extraordinary skills in their heads and hands today will be worth multi millions in their bank accounts tomorrow. From rock-solid business structures to impenetrable contracts, she shows them how to get legal, legit and profitable. Business Building Insights Don’t let the curve balls deter you from what you really want to do. Move forward despite your circumstances because that’s the only way to achieve your goals. Entrepreneurship forces you to change your mindset because only you can work through these issues. Your innovative ideas are some of the b

Meg Sutton is the boss lady and doodler behind Belle & Union, a company that sells letterpress printed cards, art prints, southern-inspired wrappings and hand-crafted artisan goods brimming with vintage wit and wisdom that tote a bit of a foodie twist – all 100% made in the USA. Meg started the business in 2012 after falling in love with letterpress while working in a boutique shop. Surprisingly she went from concept to wholesale in just a single year. Belle & Union launched their first brick and mortar store in San Antonio, Texas, in July 2018. The shop houses the working studio as well as offers creative workshops across a variety of subject matters. Meg values encouraging people to slow down and enjoy the sweet moments in life, gathered ’round a table filled with smiles and laughter. When she’s not doodling or coming up with Belle & Union’s next great product, you can find her sipping chai tea, chasing her pup with her husband and curling up with a good book. Belle & Union’s products ha