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

Stephanie received her esthetics license in 2003 and since then has worked in every possible job within the field. With this extensive knowledge of all aspects of the industry, Stephanie identified that her true passion is in creating hair removal waxes and skin care products. This has led to the creation of her own wholesale/distribution company, Smooth Skin Supply. In this show Stephanie really opens up and gives us a detailed rundown of each step she took to become the leader she is today. It’s packed with insights, challenges, and successes. Business Inspiration A friend’s honest started her on the path. [9:39] The beginning of Stephanie’s DVD’s. [27:18] Candle Flickering Moments How she handled the business when she unexpectedly had her baby early. [18:29] Moving and restarting in a service based business. [20:15] Business Building Insights A communications lesson right out of the gate. [3:40] TV/PR opportunities got her noticed while she was still working for someone else. [15:20] Look what happe

Derek is the President and majority owner of Northwoods Cheese Co, which was started by Randy Krause, Henry Zwicky, and Derek almost 15 years ago. Their mission is twofold; to provide Superior Products, and Excellent Service and Customer Satisfaction. One way to accomplish this is by partnering with Greenco Industries in Monroe, WI. This allows them to provide meaningful employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Northwoods Cheese also offers a full range of products beyond their wide variety of cheeses. To be selected as one of their manufacturers, they must share the same business philosophy. They need to deliver the highest quality of materials, flavor, and packaging. Their newest venture company is Milk Truck Cheese Co, which provides the Cherky brand of food products. The first product offering under this brand contains aged cheddar cheese, bacon and a hint of jalapeno pepper flavor. Business Inspiration A business formed from seeing what NOT to do [4:24] A wild story about how they got

Andrew and Pete run an award winning content marketing company called Andrew and Pete, where they help small businesses create share-worthy content that builds brands people love. Based in the UK, they are also authors of the book The Hippo Campus which teaches small businesses in a step by step way, how to stand out and be remembered in their industry. They are a regular contributor to Social Media Examiner, have been featured on the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast and will be speaking for the first time at Social Media Marketing World in 2017. Business Inspiration How Andrew and Pete found each other and started their business. [5:41] What do you do when you’re just starting out and don’t know anybody? [6:55] Business Building Insights How to make your business remarkable [9:47] An example of a “stand out” business. Being better versus different. [10:41] Another example – Cherbys [13:53] What happens when you aren’t representing yourself authentically [29:20] What do you do after people join your email

Mindy Moore is the Director of Events and Dining Services at Ravinia, the largest outdoor music festival in North America. She has been in the hospitality business for over 40 years. Mindy worked at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), where they merged the development and marketing departments to create a new position for her. Before that she spent the 1990s working for basketball legend Michael Jordan as Director of Catering and Events at his restaurant. An undergraduate student at the University of Miami, she graduated with a degree in Speech Communication and has been talking ever since. She’s worked for Lettuce Entertain You at the Pump Room, where Rich Melman said, “You should make a living at this,” and created the “Grande Dame” position for her. Over the years, she has opened many restaurants and worked with some of the finest hospitality professionals in the business. Business Inspiration The party that brought to light Mindy’s interest in the hospitality industry [17:10] Candle Flicker

Diane Campbell is the CEO of Gratitude Goodies, LLC. Diane has always had a passion for food and creativity. She recognized that a core value was missing in corporations across America … that was saying “thank you.” So she focused on the concept of building stronger relationships within businesses by expressing gratitude through delicious gourmet gift baskets. What started as a homebased business, today operates out of a 1,500 square foot facility. Gratitude Goodies, LLC has been providing meaningful ways to say thank you to clients in Atlanta and across the nation for 8 years. Diane is married to Dan and soon they will be celebrating their 28th wedding anniversary. They have three daughters, two grand kids, and a dog named Nugget. She enjoys cooking, travel, quilting, and sharing her business knowledge with other entrepreneurs. Business Inspiration Being a “foodie” was the initial inspiration behind Gratitude Goodies. [4:30] The original idea and the reason for change. [5:43] Candle Flickering Moments Th

Marshmallow MBA was born over a bottle of wine when a friend asked why Amy wasn’t selling her handmade holiday confections. After some kitchen burns and several more bottles of wine, Amy launched her business in February 2016 with her college roommate from Penn State. They invite you to forget everything you think you know about marshmallows. There are more than 75 flavors available for shipping nationwide. Products include traditional marshmallows in gourmet flavors, “craft”-mallows based on cocktail and liquor flavors, GamersEdge energy marshmallows, and AthletesEdge recovery marshmallows. Amy may be the only person who left a consulting career for candy making. Now she’s paying back her MBA loans one dozen marshmallows at a time. Business Inspiration A grandmother’s influence and love of sweets and baking paved the way. [6:06] The life changing conversation over a bottle of wine. [8:13] Enter … Sandra’s opinion and a partnership was born [9:04] Candle Flickering Moments Acquiring a social media posti

Celebrations Fun Food Factory is a family owned and operated business established in 1990. For the last 7 years they have been a wholesale manufacturer of JM Gourmet Popcorn. An important part of their business model is that they don’t sell directly to the general public. This way they aren’t competing with their retail partners. Dave places a high value on customer service and product quality. To ensure top quality product freshness, all popcorn is made to order in small batches. This is one feature that has continued to prove successful through increased sales and strong customer retention. Business Inspiration How Celebrations Fun Food Factory got started and the evolution to what it is today [2:23] The reason they narrowed down to one key product line [3:35] Behind the thinking of a “made to order” product [8:08] New product development story. You won’t guess the flavors! [17:33] Candle Flickering Moments Implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) [13:58] Business Building Insights Ha

Ryan is originally from a small farming community in Northwest Missouri. He’s been in sales for over 20 years and it’s definitely his career passion; first banking and now real estate. I’m not surprised he’s so successful. He’s got a style that works; friendly, helpful, and sincere. Ryan lives on the North Shore of Chicago with his husband, Brian, who owns an upscale boutique eye lash salon in Highland Park. Currently with Berkshire Hathaway, he’s going to share tips on the industry that will be particularly beneficial if you are considering a brick and mortar store for your business. Business Inspiration Ryan’s entrance into a career in real estate [4:57] Candle Flickering Moments Advice for working with contractors when you’re building out your new space [18:25] Business Building Insights Relationships are the name of the game [3:30] The first steps when you begin thinking about a brick and mortar shop [8:54] Working through negotiations with your realtor [12:02] The role of the city in your business

Merley Greenidge is the owner of Celebrate Sweetly, a corporate and personal gifting and event company based in Thousand Oaks, California. Her passion lies in creating beautiful and thoughtful gifts that let the recipient know they are truly appreciated. She loves to create bliss one gift and one event at a time. Merley is a Certified Gift Designer and has won nine design awards over the past five years at the National Gift Basket Convention. She’s also an Ambassador in the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. Merley is married and the mother of 3 young ladies. She loves the ocean, listening to jazz music and would be happy to simply sit by the beach and read all day. Business Inspiration Making the switch from hobby to business [2:51] What needed to change for this to happen [3:54] How The Only Holiday in August came about [5:50] Business Building Insights – Events for Biz Growth Steps to prepare for an event [6:34] Getting people to come to your event [11:37] The importance of a “tie in” for PR

After 28 years of fighting the stress of corporate American business, Eric Rion joined the growing ranks of corporate expatriates and took on the challenges of running a small business. Having acquired Willa’s Shortbread from Willa herself back in 2006 along with other family members, the opportunity presented itself for Eric and wife Teresa to take over complete ownership of the company in 2010. Willa’s Shortbread is a family owned and operated bake located just north of Nashville, TN. Specializing in handcrafted shortbread cookies and savory cheese cookies, Willa’s currently offers over 20 varieties of their all natural, all butter products. In addition to their own website, Willa’s Shortbread is featured in gourmet and specialty shops, in numerous subscription boxes, and private labels both their own and custom recipes for well known companies across the country. Willa’s Shortbread has been featured in numerous publications including Southern Living Magazine, winning their prestigious Best of The South A

John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of EOFire, an award winning podcast where he interviews today’s most successful Entrepreneurs 7 days a week. JLD has interviewed over 1400 Entrepreneurs and EOFire generates over 1 million monthly listens. John’s latest project is The Freedom Journal; a gorgeous leather bound journal that guides you in accomplishing your #1 goal in 100 days. Launched on Kickstarter, it raised 453K in 33 days and became the #6 most funded publishing project of all time. Do you have an idea for a book you’ve been thinking about for years … or have you been considering starting your own business? Whatever your goal may be, take action to see it through. You can learn more at TheFreedomJournal.com. The Freedom Journal Creating The Freedom Journal [3:41] What you will learn and achieve with The Freedom Journal [5:25] Candle Flickering Moments The challenge of writing a physical book [17:35] Business Building Insights It’s all about one big domino [7:50] Why imperfect action is the way to

Kara started her business, Kara’s Vineyard Wedding in 2011 as a hobby, selling handmade wedding decor fashioned from wine corks. In the early days, profits from sales were used as extra fun money, to finance pedicures, champagne brunches, and eventually trips to Europe with her husband, John. It was after the birth of their daughter in 2012, that Kara g   ot serious about her entrepreneurial dreams. She quit a lucrative 9-5 corporate career to focus on Kara’s Vineyard Wed ding exclusively. Today, the business encompasses a year-round product cycle, a twice weekly podcast, and big dreams of opening a wedding venue space in the coming years. Kara lives with her husband John, and their son & daughter in San Diego, CA. The family enjoys daily adventures to Sea World, the beach, the zoo, and beyond. Business Inspiration Kara’s story on leaving the corporate world  [5:16] The first steps in turning her hobby into a biz [9:59] Candle Flickering Moments The seasonality of the wedding industry and E

Janet Domrase works with her husband at Alden’s Kennels. The business is a full service kennel offering boarding, training, rescue services, and other creative programs such as a children’s vet camp! Janet’s husband, Alden, ran the business for 15 years literally through word of mouth and phone book listings. Meanwhile, in 2010, after a 28 year career in the postal service and six rotator cuff surgeries, Janet needed to make a change. She joined her husband at Alden’s Kennels and approached the business with a mission to bring it up to date from a marketing standpoint. Without knowing a thing about computers, much less website construction or social media, Janet started the process of learning and creating. Google became her best friend. Today, they have over 2,000 videos on YouTube and over 2,600 Facebook fans. Janet can equate the growth of their business to the visibility gained through online search. Business Inspiration The growth and evolution of Alden’s Kennels [2:49] Candle Flickering Moments The

Marla is the owner of Marla Duran, her own clothing line of the same name. She started making clothes when her son was an infant. She was living in LA at the time and sold pieces to local children’s boutiques. In 1981 she moved back east and she started selling children’s designs to boutiques throughout Philadelphia. Based on this favorable reaction and sales success, her line evolved into women’s wear as well. She opened her own boutique and design studio in 2001. Today, Marla is producing and selling her designs to women around the country through boutiques and craft shows. One of her most memorable experiences was as a contestant on Bravo TV’s Project Runway. Business Inspiration From the love of handmade ceramics to the love of clothing design [3:53] Street vending sparked the entrepreneural spirit [5:53] Candle Flickering Moments Overcoming the obstacle of how to turn ideas into reality [26:48] The Project Runway Experience How the experience began [7:44] How it happened [9:01] Reflections on the

Viveka von Rosen is known internationally as the “LinkedIn Expert” and is author of the best selling book, “LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day”. Viveka is the CEO of Linked Into Business where she takes the social media marketing knowledge she has developed and perfected over the years and transforms it into engaging and informational training. Her sessions provide not only valuable information, but actionable tips to get you and your team up and running quickly and effectively. To date she estimates she’s trained well over 100,000 people and has personally worked with executives and sales teams at Oracle, The New York Times and Western Union to name a few in her Fortune 500 portfolio. She is also a contributing expert to LinkedIn’s official blog and their Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide. Perhaps you are already one of her 32K LinkedIn contacts or 82K Twitter followers. Business Inspiration How and why Viveka chose LinkedIn as her area of expertise. [6:28] LinkedIn training as her career began. [9:45] Link

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on gift baskets and as one of the foremost experts on starting a business from scratch. In business since nineteen ninety, Shirley is head basketologist at Gift Basket Business dot com. She helps creative people and aspiring entrepreneurs to create a great life for themselves and their families by turning their passion into a fun and rewarding business at home, in a store, or other setting. Shirley’s books include How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. Shirley conducts seminars at conferences and trade shows, provides small business advice on CNBC, and publishes articles in worldwide newspapers and magazines. Most of all, she loves helping entrepreneurs like you decide how to start a business that stays as small as you want or grows as large as you dream. Business Inspiration Shirley is from a long line of Entrepreneurs but here is the moment that sparked

Jennifer Zanotti is the owner of JenZ’s Beauty Services. She opened her salon 9 years ago and has been a make-up artist and Esthetician for 15 years. Jen has a passion for helping others learn how to live a happier, healthier lifestyle. She strives to empower, inspire and motivate in her own unique way … through her love of the sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Over the last three years, training and competing have become a major part of her life. And she’s seeing huge success. Jen is currently a blue belt and has competed at several local competitions and medaled at the Pan American Championships and the Masters Worlds. “This has truly become a way of life for me, affecting all aspects and making me the person I am today…” Business Inspiration The lead up to deciding to start her own business. [3:29] Jen’s discussion on opening and then evolving with JenZ’s Beauty Salon [4:42] How Jen discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [8:60] Another pivot and her next (what she describes as her ultimate) goal [16:48] Candle Flic

Angela Lee opened her first Etsy shop in 2008 to sell simple jewelry that she created at her desk while working at a domestic violence hotline. Over the next few years, she developed her skills as an artisan. As her customer base grew, her hobby developed into a full-time business. Today, Brightsmith sells custom, handmade jewelry to people seeking effortlessly wearable pieces with an emphasis on craftsmanship. She still also works as a public interest attorney, serving Austin Texas’ thriving community of artists and musicians. Business Inspiration How her jewelry business “happened.” [4:22] The beginning of selling online [6:42] Candle Flickering Moments Adjusting to seasonal lulls and what to do to make that time productive [19:01] Business Building Insights The background of a business was a surprise attraction for Angela [8:58] Why Angela shut down her shop for two years! [12:44] Managing your business growth – a cautionary tale [14:14] Reopening the shop full time [16:13] Photography tips and th

Ronda is the owner of The Cocoa Cabana Gourmet Chocolates.She makes all her own chocolates in the store, including toffee, caramel, creams, marshmallow, peanut butter cups, pudgies (which are turtles) and one of their biggest sellers – chocolate covered potato chips. The Cocoa Cabana is in its tenth year of business, 9 in their current location. Ronda is spreading the word that chocolate is not bad for you. It’s just gotten a bad rap lately. Chocolate can actually be good for you and has health benefits as long as you eat good quality chocolate. Business Inspiration A childhood love of baking [4:50] Ronda’s husband suggests she go from baking for friends to baking for business [7:22] Candle Flickering Moments The difficult hunt for a location with a commercial kitchen and her creative solution in year one [16:03] Ronda’s continual struggle with balancing her day [22:22] Business Building Insight Linking up for a Russell Stover apprenticeship [8:02] Searching for a business name [12:04] The importance of

David Levine and his wife, Melissa, are the proud and smiling owners of Illinois Nut & Candy, Home of Fantasia Confections. It’s been eleven years since they purchased the business. The couple can take credit for sweet success thanks to conscious, thorough and even ingenious branding efforts. David realized that to distinguish his company from other candy companies he needed branding that not only differentiated his candy business from his competition, but differentiated his clients from their competition too. David began his plan with a memorable ending: he closed every conversation with his now famous, “Have a sweet day!” And when people asked how the business was doing, it was (and remains) “sweet!” Eventually, David earned a name change and another claim to fame…Fox Business dubbed him the “Kosher Willy Wonka.” This was all the inspiration he needed to invest in a complete Willy Wonka Costume. He now shows up at select networking events adorned in the purple top coat with all the trimmings. He is