Poolside Podcast: Recent Episodes
Poolside Podcast
Candid conversations with entrepreneurs, business owners and industry leaders that are making an impact in their industry. This podcast is for you if you're interested in starting your own business, leveling up your side hustle, social media, content creation and influencer marketing.
151 Austen Tosone recently celebrated working one year as a full-time content creator. She now has eight ongoing income streams and is launching an SEO masterclass. Her secret? Treating what some consider a hobby like the business it is. In this episode, I sit down with Austen and talk about everything from her background in the magazine industry to how she kept her content creation work going throughout the pandemic. Austen shares her advice for creators looking to transform their side hustle into a full-time job. She shares tips about batching content, when to create searchable vs algorithm-based content, missed opportunities she’s seeing from the brand side, and where she sees the creator economy going. If you want to turn your content into a profitable business, this is the episode for you.
Follow for more:
www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital www.instagram.com/almostffamous
Show Notes:
Celebrating Austen’s first full year as a content creator! We dive into what led her to this point and what it was like being one of the original bloggers. Austen shares the key strategies she learned working in the magazine industry that she applies to her content creation today. The importance of learning how to be adaptable, flexible, and resilient in your career. What does it take to tackle a career in social media? How the pandemic suddenly changed Austen’s career plan and what she did to keep her content relevant as the world suddenly changed. How Austen decided she was ready to make the leap into full-time content creation. Diving into Austen’s eight income streams. What is the content planning process like and does she focus on one platform over others? The importance of creating both searchable and algorithm-based content. Where does Austen see content creation going as an industry? Missed opportunities for brands looking to work with creators. What’s next for Austen? We talk about her new SEO masterclass and more.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Austen’s Website: https://austentosone.com/ Keep Calm and Chiffon: https://www.keepcalmandchiffon.com/ Austen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austentosone/ Austen’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/austentosone Austen’s Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/austentosone/_created/ Austen’s TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZML4KHLMj/
150 This is a solo episode with yours truly and I’m talking about the steps I’m taking to prepare my business (and myself) for having a baby. I share my journey on hiring people, what the goal is by June 1st in terms of workload and how I’m hoping to never take back any of the work I’m delegating out. I share the other steps in my process right now including reviewing my current clients and firing the ones that aren’t aligning, making smaller to-do lists and changing my perspective on what it means to be productive.
www.instagram.com/almostffamous www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital
Episode Description:
149 With over 15k YouTube subscribers, Chris Jackson understands what it takes to grow a community on YouTube. In episode 149 of the Poolside Podcast, I talk with Chris about his experiences growing his channel, ‘Tiny Blue Games.’ Chris explains what he did to reach his first 1000 subscribers, four strategies to monetize a channel, which content types earn higher income, the importance of branding, and more. He gives actional tips to optimize your channel, including notes about thumbnails, titles, SEO, and the ‘About’ section. Chris explains the importance of paying attention to the right metrics to review your content and goes over how he does this on his channel. YouTube can be a challenging platform to grow on. If you’re looking to start, or grow, a channel, this episode is a great place to start.
Follow for more:
www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital www.instagram.com/almostffamous
Show Notes:
Who is Chris and what kind of videos does he post on his channel, ‘Tiny Blue Games?’ How to use your side hobbies to build your career skill set. Why did Chris decide to start a YouTube channel? And how does he maintain it while balancing a full-time job? Chris’s keys to growth on YouTube and how to give back your time to your community. What has Chris learned about personal branding since starting this channel? How to manage creating videos your core audience loves vs ones that will get a greater reach. Dealing with getting stuck in a niche of content. Best practices for thumbnails, titles, SEO, and more. If Chris started over, what would he do to build an audience in 2022? How to make money on YouTube; 4 potential revenue streams.
Mentioned in this Episode: Chris’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TinyBlueGames Message Chris for marketing support: cjackson@anstice.ca
Episode Description:
148 As a 3x founder, content creator, and the CEO of Hermana Agency, Kayley Reed has been working deep in the creator economy for the last decade. In this episode, I talk with Kayley about her new tech startup, norm. A contact reader, pricing calculator, and more, norm. was built to empower creators to negotiate their worth in what is now a billion-dollar industry. Kayley and her team have been working tirelessly over the last year to find investors, build hype, and design the product their community needs. We talk about the problems norm. solves, how Kayley's team grew a waitlist of over 500 people, how norm. is keeping creators central to the business, and where Kayley sees influencer marketing going in the future. If you're a creator or a brand that hires creators, this episode is the perfect place to learn about the industry's new norm.
Follow for more:
www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital www.instagram.com/almostffamous
Show Notes:
A bit of background on Kayley: Who she is, her journey in the influencer marketing world, and what she’s working on now. How Kayley’s unique perspective in the influencer space allows her to see major gaps in the market. What is norm. and what problems does it solve? How Kayley is keeping creators at the centre of everything norm. does. How did Kayley and her team make sure people would really want this product? What strategies did Kayley and her team use to build fomo around norm.’s launch? What’s it like to work with investors? Where does Kayley see the influencer marketing industry going? Discussing the democratization of social media. How can influencers decide which platforms to focus on? How is Kayley juggling two businesses at the same time? How to transition from entrepreneur to business owner.
Mentioned in this Episode:
norm.: https://www.itsnorm.ai/ norm. on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsnorm.ai/ Kayley’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayley.e.r/ Hermana Agency: https://www.instagram.com/hermana.agency/ Andie’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andoej?lang=en
147 When your whole life suddenly changes, how do you find the energy to prioritize yourself? In episode 147 of the Poolside Podcast, nutrition and fitness coach, Michelle McGrattan, talks about how she pulled herself out of a hard time by staying true to her own advice, 'The Michelle Method.' Michelle has been on the podcast twice before, and we had a ton to catch up on. Michelle talks about everything from her divorce, moving across the country, and her new role at Barre Belle Toronto, to motherhood, boundaries, and social media. We dive into handling criticism on social media, the importance of community, and how to get through bad days. This episode is a great reminder that, even through tough times, taking care of yourself is number one.
Follow for more: www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital www.instagram.com/almostffamous
Show Notes: Michelle dives into her background, the ‘Michelle Method,’ her role at Barre Belle Toronto, and her passion for nutrition and fitness. How to connect with what motivates you on social media. Pulling yourself out bad days through connection and community online. Michelle’s wake up calls for living a healthier lifestyle and what originally got her interested in nutrition. Dealing with self doubt on social media. How to stop comparing, share authentically, and make room for everyone at the table. How Michelle’s mindset and perspective on life have changed over the last few years. Divorce, moving cities, and business changes; how community got Michelle through the hard times. Diving into Michelle’s morning routine. The tools and routines Michelle recommends to slow down and listen to your body. Balancing business and a baby; how setting firm boundaries has helped Michelle stay on top of her priorities.
Mentioned in this Episode: Michelle’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellemethod/ Barre Belle: https://www.barrebelle.ca/
146 What’s working and what needs to evolve in the influencer marketing space? In this episode, I talk with Kristen Novak, founder of WILD Public Relations, about what it’s like to run a PR agency in 2022. We dive into what brands are looking for from influencers, what it’s been like working in PR over these past couple of years, and Kristen’s own experiences running a business while becoming a mother. We talk about the importance of finding your niche as a content creator, the mental health struggles many influencers face, and where the industries might be going in the future. This episode gives influencers and content creators a peek behind the curtain into the needs and expectations of public relations firms and brands.
Follow for more:
www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital www.instagram.com/almostffamous
Show Notes:
Kristen dives into why she founded WILD Public Relations, the negative connotations associated with “agencies,” and what she was doing before she started WILD. What exactly is PR and how is it different from marketing? Would Kristen do anything differently if she could start over with WILD? What’s it like to run a business as a new mom? Kristen’s tips and personal mental health journey. Kristen’s favourite projects she’s worked on and what she loves about running her own business. How has WILD managed to adapt throughout all the shutdowns these past couple years? Plus, what it’s like for PR agencies to be able to run events again. Diving into influencer marketing: What’s working, what needs to evolve, and what are brands looking to see? The importance of choosing a niche for your content creation. What types of content is Kristen tired of seeing? Discussing authentic content versus following trends. How does WILD sort through and choose influencers to work with? Where does Kristen see influencer marketing and PR going in the future? Addressing mental health concerns in the influencer marketing space. Does Kristen have plans to open another business?
Mentioned in this Episode:
WILD Public Relations: https://wildpr.ca/ WILD Public Relations on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild.pr/
145 Social media management rates seem all over the place when you start googling it, asking around and just the general public's opinion. In this episode, I talk about my experience trying to charge enough to grow my business as well as the factors you need to consider when setting your prices including: The type of client (industry, business size, etc), scope of work, experience level, skills + people you need to make the work happen and how much you think your time is worth. Every client has a customized monthly fee based on all of those things mentioned. The industry is still growing and as social media & content creation continues to change, the cost for social media creation and management should also change.
www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital www.instagram.com/almostffamous
144 Business coach and author, Jana Boyko is a powerful guide for anyone walking an entrepreneurial path. She teaches aspiring entrepreneurs how to approach business in ways that are both mindful and strategic, and proves that it’s possible to create a vibrant, prosperous relationship with the work that feels most compelling to us. Her coaching practice, All of Her Business, is dedicated to holistically supporting women in their transformation from employee to entrepreneur.
In this episode, we dive into questions and prompts from her recently released Bedside Business Plan journal. Jana shares the evolution of her business over the last two years and how rewarding the journey of creating this journal has been amidst a stressful and busy year. We talk about ways aspiring and current entrepreneurs can create a conscious business that supports you, your mental health and overall wellbeing while still being financially successful. She gives us advice on how to set boundaries and create an intentional morning routine that sets you up for success. Jana gives us a look into what the Bedside Business Plan journal looks like and the process you can expect to go through.
https://www.instagram.com/allofherbusiness/ www.bedsidebusinessplan.com www.allofherbusiness.com
143 Daniel Jackman is a serial entrepreneur and the current owner of a social enterprise importing/exporting business with the goal of helping 2 billion agriculture farmers live economically sustainable lives in third world countries.
Daniel takes us through his journey of starting, scaling and selling a successful advertising agency, his trip abroad where he took the time to learn who he was as a person, and how he bought a failing coffee company and turned it into the impactful business it is now. He talks about the power of asking questions, the ability to be misunderstood and why treating people well is important especially as a business owner. He gives his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and how they can choose to start a business that makes an impact. https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-jackman-8529348a/ https://instagram.com/danrjackman/
142 Mitzi Payne is the co-founder of Arcade, a digital-forward creative agency specializing in strategy, content, and distribution and the host of Waves Social Podcast. In this episode, Mitzi walks us through her entrepreneurial journey of growing her side hustle into a full time business. Her passion for branding is apparent as she explains the importance of creating a strong brand that is more than your logo and colour. We talk about the mistakes businesses are making in their digital marketing strategy and why social media isn't the be all end all for brands. Mitzi gives us a great perspective on building a foundation for our brand and why it's okay to grow, evolve and change your brand.
https://www.instagram.com/helloarcade/ https://www.instagram.com/mmmitzi/
141 Kristina Sammut is an executive leadership coach and the founder of Frontier Leadership, a business offering niche specialty training with a highly integrated program for women in leadership, negotiation, career advancement, and entrepreneurship. In this episode, Kristina shares her background and education in leadership and executive coaching and how her previous careers led her to where she is now. We talk about how to know your worth, the three key challenges women face when asking for what they want and advice for how to successfully negotiate.
https://www.instagram.com/frontier_leadership/ https://www.frontierleadership.ca/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinasammut/
140 Tara Salloum is the founder and creative lead at Counter Culture. In this episode, Tara shares her journey through digital marketing and agencies before deciding to launch her own business, Counter Culture. She talks about the biggest mistakes brands are making when it comes to influencer marketing, misconceptions about ROI and how the industry has changed over the last few years. Tara gives advice for content creators who are looking to grow their influence and how to stay inspired.
https://www.instagram.com/taraleighrose/ https://www.instagram.com/counterculture.agency/
139 Jess Moskaluke is a Canadian country singer and songwriter. In this episode, Jess shares the journey of her country music career, why it's important to take a step back and reflect on how far you've come and how imposter syndrome exists in all industries. She talks about what it's like to be a woman in the music industry and how we can help change the male-dominated genre. We talk about the pandemic, how she had to pivot and why she launched her business, Hand Picked by Jess.
https://www.jessmoskaluke.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jessmoskaluke/
We are back for season 2 of Poolside Podcast! Thanks to everyone who has listened and has stuck with me through this journey.
On this episode, we're talking all things content and what you should be thinking about as we move into Q4 and 2022. Utilize technology to make your content creation and distribution more efficient, optimize your content with keywords, use data to determine what content will resonate with your audience and why creating valuable content is key to success.
Follow me on Instagram HTTP://www.instagram.com/almostffamous Follow Poolside on Instagram HTTP://www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital.ca
137 This is a solo episode with your host Rachel Antony. I talk about my entrepreneurial journey - what I took in school, the jobs that I had, how I ended up starting my own business and what I learned along the way.
www.poolsidedigital.ca www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital/ www.instagram.com/almostffamous
136 Marc Binkley is the Vice President Digital & Marketing Strategy at Anstice, a Canadian-based communications firm that uses human science to solve business problems and create meaningful tools for change. This conversation was originally an Instagram Live which is why the conversation sounds a little choppy and we are reading questions from the audience.
Marc talks about why pivoting quickly is a defining factor for businesses in determining their success throughout the pandemic and as well continuing to move through it. It’s important to understand your consumers, how they’re interacting and how they’re engaging with your brand.
We talk about emerging trends including long form content including blogs, podcasts, longer video, etc. Marc shares his opinion on budget mix. As we evolve our marketing strategies and look out to the rest of 2021, how should a brand be dividing their budget? Marc recommends looking at your goals quarterly or yearly and work backwards with the budget you’re working with. When deciding what the right media mix is for your business. https://anstice.ca/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/
135 Sunjeev Prasad is the founder of Steet Gentlemen. He helps ambitious men feel more confident by improving their mindset & style. In this episode, he shares his journey to helping men find the confidence they are missing in their life by not only helping them redesign their wardrobe but redesign their mindset around who they are as a person. We talk about how impactful you're exterior look can be on how you present yourself to the world, how quarantine has helped people understand the value of appearance + confidence and Sunjeev's advice for improving your confidence right now.
https://www.instagram.com/streetgentlemen/ https://www.streetgentlemen.com/
134 Maria Koutsogiannis is the creator and founder of Food by Maria, a blog, a cookbook, an app - all of the things. In this episode, Maria shares her content creation process, why she chooses to go with a more edited, magazine-type look for her photos and how she manages so many clients per month. We talk about the importance of finding your own voice, building a brand that reflects who you are but also how to get inspired from other people on the internet. Maria shares how she has been using her platform for not only body positivity but how filters impact our wellbeing, why mental health is so important and social justice issues. She gives her advice for people who want to use their platform to spread a message, monetize their account or just build a brand you're proud of.
https://www.foodbymaria.com/ https://www.instagram.com/foodbymaria/ https://www.instagram.com/mediabymaria/
133 Leo Perez is the Creative Director at Anstice. In this episode, she shares her journey of starting as an art director and graphic designer and moving her way into a creative director role. She gives advice for anyone who wants to get into the field and have a career in the creative field. We talk about why data analysis is so important when it comes to creating marketing campaigns and why consumer behaviour is key to successful creative. Leo shares what a brand audit is, what the process of building a brand is and the questions that she asks along the way. We talk about what makes a good brand and how it’s about the relationship with the consumer and not the product or logo itself.
https://www.instagram.com/leoperezh/ https://www.instagram.com/a.leo.bit/
132 Kaylor Betts is the founder of the Mental Wealth Project aimed at helping people find their peace and purpose to live a more fulfilling life. Kaylor shares his mental health journey and the internal struggles he faced growing up. He started as a personal trainer, opened his own gym and then four years ago launched the Mental Wealth Project when he realized how important mindset was. We talk about why labeling mental health can be a cop out, how to change your mindset around your own mental health struggles and why waiting for life to go back to “normal” isn’t going to work.
https://www.instagram.com/mentalwealthproject/ https://www.mentalwealthproject.com/
131 Matt Beauchamp is a Dad blogger in Calgary with a full time job at an international marketing & PR firm. In this episode, he shares how and why he started his blog, what the feedback was and what it's like being one of the few Dad bloggers across Canada. We talk about realizing the value of your time, choosing what brand deals to take and why saying yes to everything is not always a great idea. Matt gives his advice for people who want to get started in the blogging + influencing world and why you really need to be passionate about what you're talking about to be successful.
https://www.instagram.com/dashingdad_yyc/ https://dashingdad.ca/
130 Paige Pinder is a tarot reader and marketer. This episode is a bit different than usual, I'm sharing my personal tarot reading that Paige did for me about my business. I wanted to share the experience with you, record the predictions and give an inside look into how someone like Paige ends up in the tarot reading business.
https://www.instagram.com/paige_ofcups/
129 Melanie Trottier is a social media expert and content creator, she shares her journey of finding her career path and why it’s more about experience and building connections than it is education. We talk about our experiences with social, how you can make it a positive space to be in and why social media is the best place to network. She shares how she grew her TikTok account to almost 40K, what her content strategy looks like now and how she’s encouraging her community to create content with her 28 day challenge on Instagram. Melanie also gives us 3 instagram hacks.
https://www.instagram.com/melanielaurene/
128 Raquelle Kilotaitis is the co-founder of Carte Blanche, an agency focused on brand and influencer marketing. In this episode, we dive into the world of influencer marketing and talent management. Raquelle shares the journey that led her to co-found Carte Blanche. We talk about the misconceptions of influencer marketing and what managers do for influencers as well as what her day to day looks like. She shares what they look for in an influencer before they work together and why follower numbers don’t matter as much as people think. We talk about rates, negotiating and her advice for people who want to level up their influencer game.
https://www.instagram.com/carteblanchemgmt/ https://www.carteblanchemgmt.com/
127 Abdul Ahmed is the co-founder and CEO of Adesso, a Canadian men's lifestyle brand that specializes in unique and functional products. In this episode, Adbdul shares his journey through fashion and how Adesso grew from the market's need for more options in the men's fashion space. He talks about where Adesso as a brand began and how it's evolved into a more purposeful brand with the intention of creating a safe community and platform for men to build confidence in themselves by looking and feeling good. He emphasizes why brands should use their voice to create good and give back to the community instead of focusing just on sales. Abdul shares how Adesso is trying to break the stigma of men being vulnerable, talking about mental health and the struggles of self-confidence. He also shares the business lessons he has learned along the way, his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and how Adesso is pivoting in light of the new digital age we are in.
https://www.instagram.com/adessoman/ https://adessoman.com/ https://www.instagram.com/abdulb_ahmed/
126 Bailey Stanworth is the founder of Play Digital, a digital marketing agency, a co-host on the podcast What Day Is It? And an influencer + dog mom. In this episode (part two of two), Bailey talks about what her personal brand has evolved into, why consistency and authenticity are so important and what her content creation process looks like. We talk about finding your own voice and doing what feels right for you, not following what everyone else is doing. She shares how she manages her time between her business, podcast and own account + her advice for people developing their personal brand.
https://www.instagram.com/baileyjst/ https://www.instagram.com/playdigital/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/what-day-is-it/id1450232346 https://www.instagram.com/whatdayisitpodcast/
125 Bailey Stanworth is the founder of Play Digital, a digital marketing agency, a co-host on the podcast What Day Is It? And an influencer + dog mom. Bailey walks us through her marketing background and how + when she decided to start her own agency. We talk about hiring, time management and how Bailey found her first clients. She gives her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, how to start a business and her top tips for businesses wanting to grow their audience on Instagram. Part one of two.
https://www.instagram.com/baileyjst/ https://www.instagram.com/playdigital/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/what-day-is-it/id1450232346 https://www.instagram.com/whatdayisitpodcast/
124 Janine Sept is a wedding photographer and Clarity Coach. In this episode, Janine walks us through how she became a successful wedding photographer and how she integrated her partner into the business. She shares the journey on the decision to work on herself, become more mindful and adjust her life to be more enjoyable for and her loved ones around her. We talk about the common obstacles women face as entrepreneurs and some of the ways to overcome them. Janine shares how journaling and meditation have changed her mindset and why it’s important to make the space you need in your life. We talk about the power of social media, how being consistent on stories changed her business and personal brand and why you need to build accountability into your goals for 2021.
https://www.instagram.com/janinedeanna/ https://www.janinedeanna.com/
123 Kayley Reed is the founder of Hermana Agency, an influencer marketing agency and a content creator. In this episode, we talk about personal branding and influencer marketing. Kayley shares her content creation process for Instagram, how she decides which brands to work with and why gifted campaigns can be harmful to the industry as a whole. She talks about her agency, Hermana and how she decides which influencers to manage as well as the misconceptions about influencers working with an agency. Kayley gives her advice for people who want to become influencers or work on improving their online presence.
https://www.instagram.com/hermana.agency/ https://www.instagram.com/kayley.e.r/ https://www.hermanaagency.com/
122 Kayley Reed is the founder of Hermana Agency, an influencer marketing agency and a content creator. In this episode, we talk about all things TikTok. How the platform has changed over the last year, how brands are using it and what influencer marketing looks like on TikTok. She shares how she built her TikTok following of more than 50K followers by really niching down and how to find your own niche by finding something you absolutely love. Kayley walks us through her content creation process and her advice for people wanting to up their game on the platform.
https://www.instagram.com/hermana.agency/ https://www.instagram.com/kayley.e.r/ https://www.hermanaagency.com/
121 Maria Koutsogiannis is the creator and founder of Food by Maria, a blog, a cookbook, an app - all of the things. In this episode, she shares the journey of her blog and how she took the leap of quitting her full-time job to pursue a career as a food blogger. She talks about how she’s created multiple revenue sources and how to determine when to delegate jobs within the business that you aren’t good at or don’t enjoy. She shares her advice as a business owner, a content creator and as a food blogger.
https://www.foodbymaria.com/ https://www.instagram.com/foodbymaria/ https://www.instagram.com/maria.koutsogiannis/ https://www.instagram.com/mediabymaria/
120 Ariane Tonka is the Founder and CEO of Ovrgrnd, a digital marketing agency, and 66Agency, an influencer marketing agency as well as an influencer. In this episode, we talk about the importance of understanding your goals before launching social media campaigns, ads and strategies. Why influencer marketing is so powerful and how to put together successful influencer campaigns. Ariane shares her journey as a business owner and content creator, how she decides what brands to work with and why it's important to build your personal brand on things you already love.
https://www.instagram.com/arianetonka/ https://ovrgrnd.ca/ https://66agency.com/
119 This is part 2 with Tanisha Cherry, an influencer and podcast host. In this episode, we talk all about pitching. We talk about why you don't need to do gifted campaigns and how to pitch brands. Tanisha talks us through her Kate Summerville campaign as an example and provides great advice for how to determine your rates and what goes into taking a photo for a campaign.
https://www.instagram.com/tanisha.cherry/ https://www.instagram.com/cherryloungepodcast/
118 Tanisha Cherry is an influencer and podcast host. She's the queen of content and knowing your value when it comes to content creation and the platform you've built. In this episode, Tanisha shares how she became an influencer, her advice for aspiring content creators and how her perspective has evolved over the years. She talks about how to find your purpose and your intent, how to grow organically and find that community. This is part one of two, EPS 119 is about pitching.
https://www.instagram.com/tanisha.cherry/ https://www.instagram.com/cherryloungepodcast/
117 Megan Krepakevich is the founder of Social Integrity, a social media management and coaching business. She’s empowering entrepreneurs to create a signature online presence by understanding their value and brand. In this episode, we talk about social media strategy and personal branding. Megan shares her experience with both and the journey that has led her here. She gives her top tips, tricks and advice for establishing an online presence, why consistency is so important and why everyone should focus on storytelling first, selling second. We chat about mindset, imposter syndrome and how to show up as an expert in your niche without feeling like a fraud.
https://www.instagram.com/megankrepakevich/ https://www.instagram.com/social.integrity/ https://www.socialintegrity.ca/
116 Meighan recently completed her Masters of Architecture at the University of Manitoba and in 2018 she was a co-curator of the Winnipeg Design Festival. Meighan is indigenous, she is a maker, she is a designer and artist. Her art + research explores the role that storytelling plays in design, and how both have become the vessel for learning more about her own identity. In this episode she shares her journey to where she is today, the process that she goes through when helping a brand understanding their design, how her education and experience give her a different perspective on branding and how she started her freelance business.
https://www.instagram.com/meighan1090/ https://meighan.myportfolio.com/
116 Michelle McGrattan is the founder of The Michelle Method and an instructor at Barre Belle. In this episode, Michelle shares why a morning routine is so important for setting up your day and how she has learned to set boundaries for herself. She talks about why she rebranded her business, what the Michelle Method is and how she's helping her clients change their lives in a positive way. We talk personal branding and how she's grown such a strong and loyal community while still being true to who she is.
https://www.instagram.com/themichellemethod/ https://michellemcgrattan.com/ Previous episodes: EPS 45: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/poolside-podcast/id1380532510?i=1000431616310 EPS 98: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/poolside-podcast/id1380532510?i=1000466619097
114 Katherine Johnsen is the gorgeous face behind @beachykj. She shares her personal brand story and how she’s built a brand around sneakers and making streetwear accessible. KJ talks about how to find your niche and why it’s so important to remember that you can’t be everything to everyone. She gives her tips for building a brand, growing on social and sharing consistently. Listen to why diversifying content and platforms are key, her content creation process and how she decides on which brands to collaborate with.
https://www.instagram.com/beachykj/ http://beachykj.com/ Previous episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/poolside-podcast/id1380532510?i=1000421175835
113 Welcome back to Poolside Podcast. We're in a new season and I'm ready for the guests that I have lined up for you. In this episode, I share what I have learned during the pandemic such as the value of time, slowing down and relaxing and having a perspective shift. Let me know what you think of the episode by DMing me or leaving a rating and review.
http://instagram.com/poolsidedigital/ http://instagram.com/almostffamous/
112 with Connor Curran. Connor is the co-founder of Local Laundry, a brand dedicated to building community and selling only Canadian made garments. On this episode, we talk about the importance of community and collaboration, why it’s so important for small businesses especially to build community and how the partnerships and collaborations are chosen with Local Laundry. We talk about COVID, BLM and how the ever-changing landscape has forced all businesses to adapt, understand their values and grow. Connor shares his advice for small business owners for navigating these challenging times and how LL has become a different business than it was 6 months ago.
https://www.instagram.com/locallaundry/ https://locallaundry.ca/
Reposting of the interview I did for The Small Business Mastermind Podcast.
Full transcript here: https://www.olympiabenefits.com/the-small-business-mastermind/episodes/13/how-influencer-marketing-helps-small-businesses-reach-new-customers
For more informative episodes, click here: http://www.olympiabenefits.com/podcast
110 Sanja Serwa is the founder of Vossity, an online store curating nontoxic, organic and cruelty-free beauty and wellness products. She shares the evolution of her business Vossity and why + how she started her own skincare line. We talk about the lessons she’s learned along the way and why hiring part-time help has allowed her to scale and grow her business. We talk about social media for small businesses, the best practices and why consistency is so important. We discuss the value of influencer marketing and how to properly execute as a small business. Sanja gives her advice for small business owners on using social media, influencer marketing and overall business tips.
https://vossity.com/ https://www.instagram.com/vossity.beauty/ https://www.instagram.com/sansanjovs/
109 Maria Jose is a Calgarian content creator and blogger under the handle @aglimpseofmaria. There she beautifully curates high fashion looks and shares fashion inspiration, travel guides and wellness tips. In this episode, we discuss how Black Lives Matter has impacted us through social media, how we've decided to use our influence to spread information and how brands can move forward in a respectable and conscientious way. We share our perspectives and very different experiences on how to use your platform to stimulate change, how you can reach out to black people in a respectful way, why education and awareness should be chosen over silence, marketing and PR etiquette and what influence means to us in 2020.
https://www.instagram.com/aglimpseofmaria/
108 This episode is a mashup of answers from inspiring and powerful entrepreneurial women that I look up to. They are all answering the question "During this time, what have you learned about yourself and your business and what will you carry forward with you into the future?"
Jackie from Lace Brick Design: https://www.instagram.com/lacebrickdesign/ https://lacebrickdesign.com/
Jana from All of Her Business: https://allofherbusiness.com/ https://www.instagram.com/allofherbusiness/
Jess from Love for Lewiston: http://www.loveforlewiston.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/jsjanzen/
Marlo from Barre Body Studio: http://barrebodystudio.com/ https://www.instagram.com/barrebodystudio/
Christine from LifeLet: https://www.instagram.com/christineanne403/ https://www.instagram.com/lifelet.co/
Katie from DWK Interiors: https://www.dwkinteriors.com https://www.instagram.com/dwkinteriors/
107 Tanya is the brand director and partner of the Upside, Canada's largest online place to shop for and consign authenticated designer goods. Tanya shares her journey of falling in love with consignment as a young girl through her Mom and how she turned that passion into a business. She gives advice for finding a business partner and why being true to your values is important in both business and life. We talk about how COVID has affected The Upside, how they have evolved their campaigns and her advice for business owners as they navigate the current climate.
https://shoptheupside.com/ https://www.instagram.com/shoptheupside/ https://www.instagram.com/tawnyp/
106 Chris Kneeland is the co-founder of Cult Collective, The Gathering and Communo. In this episode, Chris talks about what makes Cult Collective different as an agency and how that translates into their perspective on client work. He talks about what qualifies a “cult-like” brand and shares his insights on how business owners should pivot their own strategies to build a cult-like brand. We talk about how COVID has impacted businesses and brands and what business owners should be doing right now to take advantage of the current climate. He defines what success means to him and why now is the perfect time to redefine what it means to you.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-kneeland-838b2921/ https://cultideas.com/ https://communo.com/ https://cultgathering.com/
104 Lisa Webb is the founder of Women, Wine and Wellbeing. Lisa shares her story about becoming a Canadian Expat when her and her husband decided to move to France in 2010. Since then she has lived in multiple different countries with her family but is now back in Calgary building a business and community for herself. Lisa shares what she learned about living abroad and how she has incorporated that into her life back in Calgary with her family. We talk about her business, Wine, Women and Wellbeing and why she created it and how she has grown it across the country. She gives her advice for setting big goals and believing in yourself to make it happen.
https://www.winewomenwellbeing.com/ https://www.instagram.com/winewomenwellbeing/
104 Jana Boyko is the founder of All Her Business, a conscious business coaching company that focuses on helping women transition from an employee to an entrepreneur in a holistic way. Jana talks about conscious entrepreneurship and why establishing your values is so important for the outcome of your business. We talk about creating moments of nourishment, joy and gratitude during a chaotic time in the world and why learning to control how your perceive events is key to your mental wellbeing. Jana gives her advice for business owners on evolving your business and using this time to ground yourself in what you want to be doing.
https://allofherbusiness.com/ https://www.instagram.com/allofherbusiness/ https://www.instagram.com/janaboyko/
103 Johanna Adriaansen is a digital marketing coach for driven and passionate females. She has grown her own freelancer business by helping businesses and influencers level up their social media presence. Johanna shares her journey from the path of a nutritionist to marketing business owner, how she transitioned from managing social media accounts to coaching macro influencers on turning their influence into a business.
We talk about how engagement is affecting everyone and why building and fostering a community online is so important when it comes to growth. She shares her best tips for people who want to jump into the influencer world and grow their Instagram into a source of income. Johanna says why it's important to diversify platforms and have a blog or email list that you can connect with your audience. https://www.johannaadriaansen.com/ https://www.instagram.com/johhhanna/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/girl-meets-gram/id1376049524
102 Tony McGrath is the CEO of the Grand, the oldest theatre in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and presents cutting-edge contemporary performing arts from around the world. Tony McGrath walks us through his journey of his lucrative investment banking career, to starting a consulting business with his wife and now his journey as the newly appointed CEO of the Grand. He talks about how his definition of success has changed over the years and why having an impact is more important than income. Tony is very open and real about the ups and downs of a career and life, but how to channel that into a new perspective and to move forward.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomcgrath/?originalSubdomain=ca https://www.instagram.com/tonymcgrathyyc/ https://www.thegrandyyc.ca/
101 Forrest Zeisler is the co-founder of Jobber, an award-winning platform that helps small home services businesses organize their entire operations. Forrest shares his journey of starting Jobber after his first failed start up. He talks about the lessons he learned from that experience and how he applied them to start the second company. He talks about why you should narrow your focus on a niche first before you expand. We talk about hiring your first employee, what they looked for at Jobber and why hiring for culture was (and still is) so important to them. Forrest shares why building culture deliberately is so important, why it's worth the work that goes into it and some practical tips for business owners.
https://getjobber.com/ https://www.instagram.com/getjobber/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestzeisler/?originalSubdomain=ca
100 Episode 100 is an interview with yours truly and Mitch Jacobsen (episode 83 if you want to listen to his story). We talk about why I started this podcast, how it's grown and what I've learned from all the people I've interviewed. We talk about growing on social media, what it takes to be an influencer and my advice for someone who wants to get into the space.
www.instagram.com/almostffamous
99 Mandy Balak is the Founder and The Ace Class and It's Date Night (see episode 6 for her full story). On this episode, we talk about what it means to level up, the tools and resources that help her do that and why she schedules her calendar minute by minute. We talk about the importance of saying no to the things that don't light you up to make room for the things that really matter to you. Why you should keep your goals and intentions front of mind and create a value system to base your decisions on. She shares the story of Rise, a conference for women to connect, rise higher and uplevel their life.
https://www.jointherise.ca/ - use code RACHEL15 for 15% off tickets http://instagram.com/jointherise_ https://www.theaceclass.com/ http://instagram.com/theaceclass_
98 Michelle and Brian McGrattan have a unique relationship story with Brian's past career as an NHL player. They talk about how they met and how the NHL impacted their relationship in terms of relocating, expectations and overall way of living. Michelle and Brian share their advice for tools that have helped them grow together such as sharing a calendar, being aware of screen time and going to therapy. They give their advice for a successful relationship and why communication is so important.
https://www.instagram.com/themichellemethod/ https://www.instagram.com/bigern16/
97 Christine and Les come together on this episode to talk about the dynamics of being in a relationship with one partner as an entrepreneur and the other with a traditional job. Christine is the founder of Enlightened Benefits and Lifelet as well as a spin instructor, Les is a financial controller, small business owner and a boxing instructor. They are both very busy and motivated which we discuss in the podcast on how they schedule their time and make sure they spend enough quality time together. They both describe the transition and experience of Christine starting two businesses within a nine month period, what tensions it created in the relationship and how they have worked through them. They discuss the importance of communication, not only just with business and finances but with energy levels, expectations and values.
https://www.instagram.com/christineanne403/ https://www.instagram.com/lifelet.co/ https://www.instagram.com/enlightenedbenefits/ https://www.instagram.com/les_evangelista/
96 Sancia and Mitchell Toth are the owners of The Toths Photo & Film. They met at a job and have been working together ever since. We dive into what that looks like in terms of managing a relationship at the same time, what the challenges have been along the way and their advice for couples who want to work together. They share their process for managing their schedule, how having a baby changed the way they work and live, and why they chose to stick with their own business rather than going back to the corporate world.
https://www.instagram.com/thetothsphotofilm/ https://thetoths.com/
95 Jackie and Ben are both entrepreneurs, Jackie owns Lace Brick Design and Ben owns TFB Leather. On this episode, we talk about how to manage two businesses + twin boys, why communication is key when it comes to any relationship and how to organize so that everyone feels important and heard. They share their tips, tricks and advice for starting a business and a successful relationship.
https://www.instagram.com/lacebrickdesign/ https://www.instagram.com/tfb_leather/
94 Jarom Moriyama-Bondar is the co-founder of Pride In Business and a consultant at Gallagher Benefit Services. Pride In Business was established in 2011 to support, encourage and promote small to medium-sized LGBTQ+ owned and operated businesses and those that support the LGBTQ+ community in the Calgary area. He shares the story behind starting Pride in Business and why having a like-minded community is so important. They recently became incorporated and Jarom talks about why they made that decision and how it has helped with growing the events and being able to accept sponsorships. We also talk about stereotypes, myths and challenges within the LGBTQ+ community, how businesses can support equality and what we can look forward to this year with Pride in Business.
https://www.prideinbusiness.ca/ www.instagram.com/prideinbusinessyyc https://www.facebook.com/PrideInBusiness/
93 Kayla Paradis is a yoga teacher specializing in emotional angelic healing and spiritual awakening in mothers. Kayla shares her journey of finding her own spiritual path through her daily yoga practice after her third child. It changed the trajectory of her life and now she helps women and mothers do the same. We talk about how letting things go can be the biggest obstacle but the most rewarding when it's done. She shares her thoughts on 2020 and what we can expect moving forward. Kayla explains how important having a meditation practice is and why tuning into your intuition daily can really help slow you down and refocus on what's important.
https://www.keeperofkeys.net/
92 Garrett McCoy is a healer and energy medicine practitioner and the founder of Align Market. In this episode, Garrett shares his journey on how he became a shaman and a healer, what that means and how he has turned it into a successful business. He gives amazing practices and tools for letting go of the past year and looking ahead into 2020, how to set goals and intentions and why he prefers to focus on how he feels rather than strict goals. Garrett talks about the energy of 2020, how someone at home can begin to shift their energy and mindset, and why it's so important to build a community around you.
http://www.instagram.com/garrettmccoy http://www.instagram.com/alighnmarketyyc https://www.garrettmccoy.com/
91 Sanja Avramovic is a life and business coach helping women entrepreneurs to build a conscious brand around their passion. Sanja also is an astrologist and uses the planets and moon to strategize her own life and business as well as help direct others. She shares her journey of becoming an entrepreneur, how she was able to tie spirituality and business together, and how she is setting her intention for the upcoming year. She gives her advice for people wanting to start a business or evolve a current one into a more conscious brand, as well as her tips for staying connected and grounded.
https://www.instagram.com/sanja/
90 Dani Druisso is the powerhouse voice and leadership coach behind the Unleash Your Voice podcast. With an extensive background in performance and over five years in the personal development game, Dani has built her career around helping people take radical responsibility of their lives by embracing their humanness, loving their journey, and owning their “extra.” Dani’s playful approach to personal development inspired her book “Get Off Your A$$ & Into Your Life”, an immersive experience that has moved countless women take action, overcome fear and stop apologizing for living their dream life. We talk about how to set goals and intentions moving into the new year and new decade. We talk about the importance of knowing the why behind your intentions and having the self-awareness to know if your goals are really serving you. Dani walks us through her vision board process and how to manifest your own great year.
http://danieledriusso.com/ https://www.instagram.com/Danidriusso/
89 Dr. Ayla Lester is a naturopathic doctor focusing on core pillars including nutrition, plants, water, movement, sleep, balance and connection to help people solve and prevent health problems. In this episode, we talk about the role of nutrition, why its so important to be aware of food sensitivities and how nutrition and stress are tied together. She shares information about stress, anxiety, how to manage stress in our daily lives and how to notice when you're in fight or flight mode. Our hustle culture and constantly comparing our to-do lists to each other are adding stress to our lives that our bodies might not be able to handle. We talk about self-care activities and why learning to calm your mind is so important.
https://www.doctorlester.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dr.aylalester/
88 Philip Vandermey and Jessie Andjelic are the founders and owners of SPECTACLE, an internationally oriented architecture office working across the fields of architecture, urbanism, landscape, and object design. In this episode, we talk about social infrastructure, what the Canadian architectural landscape looks like and how Phil and Jessie are trying to evolve it. We talk about why industries need disruptors, how living in Europe influenced both of their perspectives when it comes to design and business and their advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
www.spectacle-bureau.com https://www.instagram.com/spectacle_bureau/
87 Kayley Reed is the founder of Hermana Agency, an influencer marketing company as well as a micro-influencer. On this episode, we are talking about TikTok - what it is, what to do with it and why it's worth joining as soon as possible. Kayley shares her experience of growing on TikTok, how she creates her videos and why having a content strategy is important for future growth and brand collaborations.
https://www.hermanaagency.com/ https://www.instagram.com/kayley.e.r/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/self-care-sunday/id1340719015?mt=2 https://vm.tiktok.com/9RHVB7/
86 Amanda Kelly runs a yoga teacher training company that looks at the mental and physical aspects of yoga. She Trains people to become the best version of themselves while teaching and inspiring others to do the same. Amanda shares her journey of hating yoga to making it her full time job. We talk about the common roadblocks people face in life, how fear is a contributor to our limitations and some of the first steps to take towards your dream. Amanda walks us through her morning routine and how we should be setting goals + intentions for our life.
https://www.amandakellyyoga.com/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwiq1sQBs5U/
85 - Suzanne Hampson is the founder of Barstar Buch. In this episode, he shares her journey through the oil industry in Calgary, starting and selling a yoga studio and how she came to start her kombucha company. We chat about the stigma around not drinking and not having booze-free options. She talks about the business lessons she learned from the yoga studio and how she has incorporated them into this business. Why people should incorporate a charitable aspect to their business and give back. She talks about how Calgary needs more booze-frees and her plan for Barstar Buch.
https://ilovethisbar.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/barstarbuch/
84 Brittany Kolba is the founder of Hoola Life and a freelance social media manager. On this episode, we dive deep into influencer marketing, what we love and hate about it and how someone who is just started can still thrive. We talk about the algorithm and why Instagram shouldn't be seen as a competition. We give our opinions on comment pods, why they still exist and why they are harming the influencer industry from both the influencer and business side. We talk about why being genuine is important to stand out and how to use real engagement to grow your account.
www.instagram.com/msbrittanykolba/
83 Mitch Jacobsen is the co-founder of Rviita, a natural energy drink company. Mitch shares his story of how he's always wanted to be an entrepreneur and why he decided to start an energy drink company. He's doing it differently than the big brand energy drinks in terms of marketing and branding as well as the ingredient list. After 2 and a half years, Rviita was launched with a successful ATB Booster campaign. Mitch shares the mistakes and roadblocks that have happened along the way and his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
https://rviitalize.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rviitalize/
82 Kristine Miguel is the founder of Caritas Company, a consulting and coaching firm. Kristine shares her journey from working a typical 9 to 5 for 11 years and then deciding to make the leap into entrepreneurship. She shares the biggest limitations and obstacles small business owners face and how to avoid some of the common mistakes she sees people making. We talk about attitude towards money and how that can affect a business. The scarcity mindset is something I constantly battle with so it was great to be able to talk to Kristine about it and hear her suggestions for changing that mindset. We also chat about money and relationships and what the best practices are when it comes to having open conversations about money with your partner.
https://www.caritascompany.com/ https://www.instagram.com/caritascompany/ https://www.instagram.com/hustlebeyondlimits/
81 Jeremy Lee is the host and producer of Reading the Play podcast and Dinos Unfiltered podcast. Jeremy talks about how he ended up in the podcasting world and how he got involved with CIS sports without ever playing on a university team. We talk about the importance of storytelling and why it's so powerful for both brands and people. From all the athletes he has interviewed, Jeremy shares the most common factor in their success, what keeps them motivated and what non-athletes can take away as advice.
https://www.instagram.com/lee.gacy/ https://www.instagram.com/readingtheplay/
80 Solo episode! Poolside is celebrating it's one year anniversary and in honour of the year this episode is my guide to how to start a podcast based on my experience. Google will also answer all your questions but I'm just here to share the real life experience.
79 Quan Ly is the co-founder of McRally LLP and Evil Corp Brewing. He took both his passions, numbers and beer and created a life that worked for him. He shares his journey of going from a stable, 6 figure job to having to rent out his apartment to make things work while building his business. Quan explains why budgeting is so important and the sacrifices you'll have to make if you want to become an entrepreneur. He talks finacnes and the biggest challenges small business owners face when it comes to their books and how to avoid them. What you should have in place ideally before you quit your 9 to 5. Quan talks about why he also decided to start a beer company, how his skills from his first business transferred over and the process of creating the perfect beer. We talk about managing priorities and time and using the number of hours in a day beneficially to reach our goals.
https://www.instagram.com/evilcorpbrew/ https://mcrally.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/quan_ly/
78 Jana Boyko is the founder of All Her Business, a conscious business coaching company that focuses on helping women transition from an employee to entrepreneur in a holistic way. Jana shares her journey from working a typical 9 to 5 and when she decided to become an entrepreneur and how she took that experience and wants to help other women do the same. She shares her philosophy on entrepreneurship and why she thinks everyone can be an entrepreneur with the right support system. She talks about the biggest limitations and obstacles people facewhen starting a business and why mental health plays an important role.
https://allofherbusiness.com/ https://www.instagram.com/allofherbusiness/ https://www.instagram.com/janaboyko/
Welcome to the show Joey Pomerleau. Joey is the founder of Wednesday Co. Joey's goal with Wednesday Co. was to create an accessible, affordable product that was marketed to everyone regardless of race, age, gender, body type and sexual orientation. Joey shares his journey on why he started Wednesday Co, the problems he saw in how sex products were being advertised and how Wednesday Co is different from the big box brands. He talks about how he built the brand, what he's learned along the way and why he decided to give back. https://wednesdayco.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wed.co/
Welcome to the show Krystal Laferriere. For eight years, Krystal struggled with Crohn's Disease. Finally finding reprieve with cannabis topicals, Krystal made the entrepreneurial leap and started a wellness cannabis brand, Kanabe Goods Co., which eventually was acquired by Experion Wellness - a Health Canada Licensed Cultivator & Processor of cannabis in Mission, BC. Krystal stayed on with Experion and took on the role of Cannabis Wellness Expert - spearheading cannabis education, marketing and brand ambassadorship. She was named Lyfebulb Ambassador in 2018, which is a global support group for patients dealing with chronic illness and has fostered an online community for cannabis advocacy and chronic illness support. In the interview, we talk about the misunderstandings and challenges within the cannabis industry, how someone should start with cannabis products and why keeping yourself healthy is so important. https://www.instagram.com/xtra_ordinary_girl/ https://www.instagram.com/kanabe.goods/ https://www.instagram.com/experionwellness/
Welcome to the show Brianna Hallet. Brianna is the owner and CEO of Swizzlesticks Salon and Spa. She shares her journey to becoming the CEO of the company, what the transition from employee to CEO looked like and how she has incorporated some of her values into the company. Swizzlesticks recently adopted 100,000 bees and we talk about how that initiative came about, why supporting the bees is so important to Brianna herself and to Swizzlesticks. We talk about the importance of having a charity aspect to your business and how to pick a charity to support. https://www.swizzlesticks.com/ https://www.instagram.com/swizzlestickssalonspa/ https://www.instagram.com/breezeyanne/
Welcome to the podcast Spencer Kerber. Spencer is one of the co-founders of Bessie Box, a food-delivery subscription service offering the highest quality, locally grown, organic beef. Spencer shares how his interest in sustainability and the food industry led him to start Bessie. We talk about how important radical transparency is when it comes to a food business and really understanding why food is priced the way that it is. Spencer is on a mission to connect farmers directly to consumers and provide an affordable option for organic, humanely-raised beef. We talk about some of the issues with the current food industry, what Spencer has learned about farming, food and the food business since starting the company and what he hopes to achieve with Bessie. https://bessiebox.com/ https://www.instagram.com/getbessiebox/
Welcome to the show Kay She. Kay is a practicing corporate lawyer with a passion for public policy and politics. She started Room Where it Happens in 2017 as a space for young professional women to come together to discuss policies and politics that were affecting their daily lives. Kay shares how and why she started it, what women can expect from the events and the types of topics that are discussed. We talk about how to have safe, respectful conversations about public policy and politics with the people around you, why finding a safe space to talk is important for developing confidence in our opinions and knowledge and why voting is so important and the key first step to take when standing up for what you believe in and making a difference in your community. https://roomwhereithappens.org/ https://www.instagram.com/room.whereithappens/
Welcome to the show Stacey Foley. Stacey is a business and life coach focusing on helping creatives grow their business and achieve their goals. She shares how she ended up in the career path and why she loves helping people. We talk about brand strategy and why it's important to focus on depth as opposed to vanity. People crave connection and if you can fo that and get that to your clients, you'll have repeat customers. Stacey talks about why journalling is so important and how it has helped her grow in her life and business - and why actually writing down your goals is key to achieving them. We talk about finding a balance that works for you and why comparing yourself to other people is so toxic. https://www.instagram.com/thestaceyfoley/ https://www.instagram.com/thecollectivejoy/
Welcome to the show Laura Kloepfer. Laura is a freelance creative strategist. On the episode, she shares how she ended up being self-employed, what a typical day looks like for her and how important having a morning ritual is. We talk about the importance of a thought-out social media strategy and how she keeps herself in the right creative mindset. We talk about how you can't do everything and the key to success is having a network and community of people you can work with to best suit your clients and projects. Laura gives her advice for people wanting to start their own business, why you shouldn't undercharge yourself and why listening to your intuition is so important. http://www.laurakloepfer.com/ https://www.instagram.com/laura.kloepfer/
In this solo epsisode, I answer a few user-generated questions about brand ambassadorships, contracts and how to negotiate both with influencers as well as content creation. I share my tips and tricks for creating a whole month worth of content in one photoshoot. If you're interested in Leveling Up Your Instagram, check out my online course: http://poolsidedigital.ca/level-up-your-instagram/ Share this episode on Instagram and tag me @poolsidedigital or @almostffamous
Welcome to the show, Marin McCue. Marin is the founder of dope(a)me, a company that focuses on mind, body and life coaching. Marin talks about her journey through university and the mental struggles she was continually overwhelmed with. She shares how those dark moments in her life and her road to recovery eventually led her to start her own business where she can help people live their best life through changing their mindset, habits, goals and mental strength. She shares her tools and tactics for recognizing burnout and how to slow down in our hustle-oriented society as well as advice for anyone who is looking to turn their passion into a full time job. http://www.dopeame.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dopeame/
Welcome to the show Christopher Boyse. Christopher is the owner and founder of Brain Bar, a functional energy bar for brain health. He shares his journey of working a corporate job in finance and thinking that was his final career to being laid off and exploring the world of entrepreneurs. Christopher went through his own fitness and nutrition journey and wanted to create a bar that was different than traditional protein bars and focus on brain health. He talks about the process of creating a product and bringing it to market. How collaboration is the new competition and finding people to network with and learn from is key to success. He gives his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and people who want to start their own business. https://mybrainbar.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/mybrainbar/
In this Q&A episode, I answer a handful of questions from Instagram about becoming an influencer, successful collaborations, influencer marketing, how I started my business, and why I'm intimidated by most people. http://poolsidedigital.ca/course-level-up-2019/
Welcome to the show Justine Carey. Justine is the face behind Milton Photo. On this episode, Justine talks about how she got into photography, how she shot her first wedding without ever taking photos of people before and how she has evolved as a photographer by asking questions. We talk about why she loves film and her passion for capturing people's big day. We talk about the pros and cons of being self-employed, her adivce for aspiring photographers and her advice for brides when choosing a photographer. https://www.justinemilton.com/ https://www.instagram.com/miltonphoto/
Welcome to the show Bella Bucchiotti. Bella is a full time travel blogger and we can talk how she got started with her blog and instagram and how she grew it into a full time job. We talk about the misconceptions of blogging as well as her tips for anyone who wants to get into content creation. She shares how she decides on partnerships, why valuing photographers time is key and her favourite travel destination. https://www.instagram.com/bellabucchiotti/ https://xoxobella.com
Welcome to the show, Brian Owens. Brian is the artistic director of CalgaryFilm, Calgary's International Film Festival. This is his first year in this city but comes from a ten-year position in Nashville. He talks about how he got involved with film, why and how he started a film festival in Indianapolis (that is still running today) and how he feels about now being in Calgary. We talk about how the film festival industry has evolved since he started in 2004 and why he loves being involved with it so much. He gives his advice for anyone who is thinking about submitting a film to a festival and what we can look forward to in this year's festival. https://www.calgaryfilm.com/
In this short Friday episode, I talk about the ways that I stay motivated when I'm feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work that I have to do. Share your ways you stay motivated with me on Instagram! http:///www.instagram.com/poolsidedigital
Welcome to the show Emily Slaneff. Emily is the founder and owner of Crush Camp, a boutique fitness studio that focuses on running and circuit training. Emily shares her journey to opening up this studio after finding a similar workout in Nashville where she previously lived. She talks abuot her stuggle with weight loss, working out and balancing a stressful job and how that led to her owning a studio that believes in community, supporting each other and turning non-athletic people into athletes. Emily talks about the challenges of being an entrepreuner and her advice for anyone thinking about starting a business. https://www.crushcamp.com/ http://instagram.com/crushcamp
Welcome to the show Susi Hately. Susi is the owner and founder of Functional Synergy, which is an umbrella of many businesses but focuses on helping people to feel their best - physically and mentally. We talk about how important sleep is and how our culture of hustle, exhaustion and never sleeping is getting in the way of our ambition and success. Susi shares how and why she started her own business, why she thinks it's important to still have clients while training others in her method and how she was able to scale her business. She shares her one trick for how she manages to be a great mom, run her businesses and keep a perspective on life. https://www.functionalsynergy.com/
In this episode, I give you my 10 practical tips for growing your instagram if you're interested in becoming an influencer or just focusing in on buidling your personal brand. Social Media Online Course Mailing List: mailchi.mp/9b5cb7b069e5/emailsignup
Welcome to the show Arsheen, the founder of Daraja Foundation, a non-profit based in Calgary. Arsheen lives in Zanzibar and helps youth in an orphanage over there. She worked in the orphanage when she was over there after university. Arsheen talks about how and why she started the foundation and what her goals are with it. She shares some of the touching success stories of some of the kids she has worked with and watched them grow into entrepreneurs and working adults. Arsheen also shares some of the biggest lessons she's learned about business and life while running a foundation for youth. https://www.darajafoundation.com/ https://www.instagram.com/darajafoundation/ https://www.instagram.com/arsheendhalla/
Welcome to the podcast Kristal Hawryluk. Kristal is the owner of Lucky Fin Mama of 2 which is a blog, Instagram and apparel line, all with one goal in mind: to raise awareness for child abnormalities and genetics. We talk about her and her husband's journey through finding out 12 weeks into the pregnancy that Brady was going to have a birth abnormality, what emotions Kristal experienced and ultimately why she decided to start an Instagram account to share her story. Throughout the journey, Kristal found there to be a lack of resources surrounding the topic and no real support other than her close family and friends. She's on a mission to raise awareness and money for birth abnormalities and genetics as well as provide a platform for women to come to seeking support and reassurance if they are in the same situation. Kristal talks about how she's found balance between her two children, how she manages to start and grow a company and how her son's lucky fin has taught her so much about life. https://luckyfinmamaof2.com/ https://www.instagram.com/luckyfin_mamaof2/
Welcome to the show Jason Smith. Jason is the owner of Bow Developments, a community minded company. Their latest project is Scarboro on 17th Ave in Calgary. Jason shares advice on both home buying and business owning. He talks about what you need to think about as a first time home buyer, how he builds a trusting relationship with customers and how he takes a difference approach to home buying. Jason talks about the problem with expectations and why it's so important to be in the present and really live in the moment as an entreprenuer. He talks about how to build your team, why knowing who you are is important on fostering a like-minded team and the importance of listening when it comes to managing people. Jason gives his tips for finding a work/life balance with the help of delegating, prioritizing your time andl earning to say no to things. http://bowdev.com/ http://scarboro17.com/ https://www.instagram.com/scarboro17yyc/?hl=en
Welcome to the show Salima Stanley-Bhanji. Salima is the CEO of Humainologie which is a charity that promotes and focuses on empathy and inclusion. One of the ways they do this is through sharing human stories, especially through film as well as a podcast and blog. They recently opened a social enterprise gallery and store where all of the profits go towards funding their charitable work. Salima talks about how she got involved with the charity, what it means to her and what she's learned along the way. http://www.humainologie.com/ https://www.instagram.com/humainologie/ Empathy Week: http://www.humainologie.com/empathyweek/
On today's solo episode I talk about how to optimize content creation while you're on vacation for a quick weekend getaway. I go through how I prepared for my Toronto trip, how I initially gathered all the content and what I did to turn 3 days in Toronto into 5 blog posts, multiple instagram posts, instagram stories and IGTV (plus this podcast). Social Media Online Course Mailing List: https://mailchi.mp/9b5cb7b069e5/emailsignup
Welcome to the podcast, the ladies of Choice Words. What started as a project for International Womens Day has turned into a bigger movement. Choice Words reframes harmful traditional sayings and cliché statements by cutting-out negative language. All profits raised from the sales of their merchandise are donated to UN Women - they talk about why they chose UN Women as opposed to other more specific charities. These women are truly inspiring in the way they've come together to help change the landscape for women in terms of confidence, language and opporunities. https://choicewords.shop/
Welcome to the show Mercedes Byrnes. Mercedes is the founder and owner of Wolf & Pine a natural, vegan skin care company. Mercedes talks about how she took her passion for foraging and turned it into a business. All of her products contain ingredients that she and her partner have foraged for, making it very natural, organic and handcrafted with love. Part of the proceeds from the products goes towards the Wolf Sanctuary in Ontario, hence the name Wolf & Pine. We talk about the challenges of starting a business, the importance of quality content creation and branding and her advice for people who want to start a business. https://wolfandpine.co/ https://www.instagram.com/wolfandpine.co/ Ontario Sanctuary: https://www.haliburtonforest.com/things-to-do/wolf-centre/ Alberta Sanctuary: http://yamnuskawolfdogsanctuary.com/
Welcome to the show Lizzie MacNeill. Lizze is the head of parnterships at Later, a media and marketing platform to help people organize, plan and schedule their social media content. She has worked in PR and social media for 10 years and started social media accounts and strategies for businesses like Beakerhead, the University of Calgary, Saje wellness and Hockey Canada. So she knows a thing or two about running successful accounts. We dive deep into social media marketing, the best practices for creating a great account and how to grow your followers and engagement. We talk about the misconceptions of social media such as the fear of overpromoting yourself or not taking social media seriously as a marketing tool. Lizzie gives her advice for how poeple should create an Instagram strategy, batch content creation and focus on growing your community engagement rather than followers. www.later.com www.instagram.com/latermedia/ www.instagram.com/lizziemacneill/
Welcome to the show Bobbi and Phil, the co-founders and owners of Tribe of Lambs which is a non-profit jewelry company that is raising money to fund projects for HIV positive children in India. Bobbi and Phil share how they met and why they decided to pursue this mission together. They want to end the stigma that impacts HIV positive people, especially the children in India. To end stigma you need awareness which is their goal and to give these kids a better opportunity in life. They use storytelling to really spread the word of Tribe of Lambs, sharing the stories of the children and the caretakers on social media. They give their advice for people who want to start a business and how to balance a full time job with a side hustle or passion. https://tribeoflambs.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tribeoflambs/
On this solo episode, I talk about the dos and don'ts of being or becoming an influencer. I share how I got started and how my blog evolved into the "influencer" on Instagram that I am today. How I determine who to work with, how to reach out to brands, how to negotiate your cost and why valuing your time, content and audience is so important.
"Welcome to the show Julie Harrish. Julie is the co-owner and co-founder of 6ix Cycle, a spin studio in Toronto. Julie shares her journey of starting in the fitness industry, competing and eventually teaching spin which leads her to open her own studio in a new city. She shares the challenges of starting a business in Toronto while still living in Calgary, the challenges of moving cities and opening up a new business in a new city. She had to adjust once she realized the community and culture of Toronto was different than Calgary. She talks about overcoming the fear of change and jumping into your passion. Julie gives her advice for people both wanting to start a business and those who want to move to a new city and why you should ignore the naysayers. https://www.6ixcycle.com/ https://www.instagram.com/6ix_cycle/ https://www.instagram.com/julieharrish_/"
Welcome to the show Shawn Freeman. Shawn is the founder and CEO of TWT Group. In this interview, Shawn shares his story on how and why he started his own IT company, when he knew it was time to make the leap out of his 9 to 5 and why he wish he would have done it sooner. He talks about how fear is the biggest limitation for people trying to reach their full potential and how to overcome that as you grow your business. Shawn talks about when he knew he should hire his first staff, the different between hiring employees and contractors and why hiring employees is the better option. We talk about company culture and how important it is for a company and how a leader should coordinate that. He gives his list of pros and cons of being an entrepreneur and the steps people should take if they are thinking about becoming self-employed. https://www.twtgroup.ca/ Books: Find Your Why - Simon Sinek https://amzn.to/2HuyRUe Uncommon Service - Frances Frei https://amzn.to/2W98R3R Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh https://amzn.to/2U2Kc3s Rework - Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson https://amzn.to/2OdROuS Never Get a Real Job - Scott Gerber https://amzn.to/2Y7wPhL Built to Sell - John Warrillow https://amzn.to/2CrRsMg
Welcome to the show Aja Horsley. Aja is the owner and founder of Drizzle Honey, a local honey company changing the honey game. She shares how she took her side hustle bee project and turned it into a business. Aja talks about the pivotal moment of the business when she became allergic to bees and had to reshape her supply chain which allowed her to focus on growing the brand and business. She talks about the evolution of Drizzle and what the experience was like when she first had her products in retail. Drizzle has expanded across Canada and Aja shares the challenge of getting into retailers and what it takes to expand. We talk about why supporting local is so important and the impact it can have on the people running the small businesses and the city itself. https://drizzlehoney.com/ http://instagram.com/drizzle_honey
Welcome to the show Steph Nichols. Steph is the founder and owner of Sweat Society, an online and pop up boutique that focuses on ethically made active wear brands. We talk about what she was looking for in active wear that led her to start sourcing her own brands, how she has reached a consumer audience through studio pop ups and why having a support system that believes in you is so important. Steph talks about the fear of being self-employed and waking up wondering what you started and feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of having to be successful for employees. She shares her advice for starting a company and where she wants to take Sweat Society in the future. https://www.sweatsociety.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/sweatsociety/
Welcome to the show Michelle McGrattan. Michelle is a barre instructor and a nutritional coach. On this episode, she talks about her fitness and nutritional journey from playing competitive and varsity sports, to bikini competitions to being a fitness instructor and nutrition coach. She shares her favourite healthy meals, what you should be eating before and after a workout and why listening to your body is the most important. She talks about being a mom and how she manages her family life, keeping them healthy and staying on top of a business. Michelle gives her advice for living a healthy, active life to achieve your goals as well as starting and running your own business. https://michellemcgrattan.com/ https://www.instagram.com/michelle.erin.mcgrattan/
Welcome to the show Mike Wenzlawe. Mike is the co-founder and co-owner of Calgary Heritage Roasting Company, a local coffee roaster who has built a strong outdoor/avdenture lifestyle brand along with delicious coffee. Mike shares how the idea of starting the company happened out in the backwoods while camping with his business partner, how they mastered the craft of roasting coffee out in the woods and then turned it into a company. He talks about who Bubba the Bear is and why staying connected to the community and nature is so important to him and the brand. Mike also talks about the exciting new CHRC cafe that will be opening - how that process has been and when they expect to open. https://www.calgaryheritageroastingco.com/ https://www.instagram.com/calgaryheritageroastingco/
Welcome to the podcast Jeff and Mack. These two guys are the owners and founders of Aylmer Nelson Cannabis. They have known each other since they were 10 and have started multiple businesses together so they have learned a thing or two about finding the right business partner and what it takes to start a business. We talk about the cannabis industry in Canada, how they have evolved their business since they have started in accordance with new rules and regulations. They talk about navigating those regulations and why its important to do your due diligance when it comes to researching your industry. Even though they haven't opened shop yet, they talk about the challenges they have faced since starting the business and their advice to other entrepreuners. https://aylmernelson.com/ https://www.instagram.com/aylmernelson/
Welcome to the show Julia Barnes. Julia is the owner and founder of Honubelle, a premium swimwear line. Julia always wanted to be a fashion designer growing up and she started an apparel line which transitioned into Honueblle that focuses on swimwear for active women. She shares the challenges of running your own business and how to get out of your own head when you start to doubt yourself. She values the support group around her and needs the outside perspective to remind herself why she started the company in the first place. Julia shares the best advice she has ever received and her own advice from the experience of starting a business. She shares the process of designing a swimsuit and where she plans to take Honubelle in the future. https://honubelle.com/ https://www.instagram.com/honubelle/
Welcome to the show Lauren and Avalon. These two women are the founders of Aura Inner Beauty, a company that sells a collection of premium ingestible beauty products are carefully formulated with a sophisticated blend of probiotics, prebiotics and antioxidants to nourish your beauty from within. They share how they met and why they decided to start Aura together. They explain what their first product, Radiance is and why they are dedicated to healthy products focused on beauty. They share their advice for living a healthy life as well as starting a business. https://aurainnerbeauty.com/ https://www.instagram.com/aurainnerbeauty/
Welcome to the show Brooke Van Ryssel. Brooke is the owner and founder of My Body, a gym dedicated to body positivity and being inclusive to every person, body and fitness level. Brooke shares where the idea for the gym came from and why we need to get away from the traditional gym where people are focused on aesthetic rather than how they feel. We talk about why body positivity is so important and how the beauty and diet industry is impacting how we view ourselves. She gives her advice for people who need to break out of the low self-confidence mindset and work towards healing. She explains why you should work towards body neutrality rather than only focusing on body love. We talk about social media and how it can play a seriously negative role in our body image and some of the steps to turn it into a positive experience. She suggests only following people that make you feel seen and supported rather than those you are comparing yourself to. https://www.mybodywpg.ca/ http://instagram.com/mybodywpg
Welcome to the show Christine Leskun. Christine is the founder and owner of Enlightened Benefits and Lifelet and is a motivator at YYC Cycle. She shares how and why she has started to businesses, one in insurance and one is jewelry. They seem very different but at the core its about helping people and creating a connection with people. She shares how she is trying to change how social media is being used - making it more real and sharing someone's entire story, not just the highlights. Christine gives her business owner advice and how she dedicates her time to learning new skills and finding a way to solve problems that she encounters. Her two biggest takeaways are being curious and finding a mentor - she dives into what that means and how it has impacted her life and business career. https://www.instagram.com/christineanne403/ https://www.instagram.com/lifelet.co/ https://www.instagram.com/enlightenedbenefits/
Welcome to the show Shauna MacDonald. Shauna is the founder and CEO of Brookline PR, a boutique agency in Calgary. She shares how she started Brookline from scratch and why she has chosen to remain boutique but also being able to land huge, national brands. We talk about how PR from traditional media when there was no social media and how it has evolved with the emergence of Instagram, Facebook and all of that. Who are we speaking to and how are they making decisions, thinking about millennials to Gen Z and how to get them to listen. Shauna gives her advice for people who want to start a business, what she loves about the flexibility of entrepreneurship and why she wants people to stop using the phrase, woman in business. http://www.brooklinepr.com/ https://www.instagram.com/brookline_pr/
Welcome to the show Jess and Ronnie Olstad. Jess and Ronnie share their relationship advice and how they take time for each other even though they are both running their own businesses. Both of them acknowledge that a relationship takes work but at the end of the day and that the grass is greener where you water it. A relationship isn’t about you, and we talk about how important it is to keep your partner’s happiness in mind when you make decisions and choices in life. People who are 80 never look back on their relationship and wish they were more selfish. They share their favourite date spots and activity and how they check in with each other to make sure both people in the relationship feel heard and supported. Jess and Ronnie know the importance of family and that work isn’t the be all end all so spending time with each other and with Swazie is very important. http://www.loveforlewiston.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/loveforlewiston/ https://www.instagram.com/jsjanzen/
Welcome to the show Jayme Macfayden. Jayme is the co-owner and co-founder of BMEX Group who owns five of Calgary's best restaurants. Jayme shares where the idea for UNA, their first restaurant came from and how their first business plan failed but in the end worked out because UNA was born. Two years later they opened Ox because they wanted a cocktail bar for their Una waitlisted guests to wait for a table. Jayme shares her love for hospitality and how that inspires her every day to get out of bed. Customer interactions, a good experience and good food can really impact a person’s day. It’s not about the food, it’s about the people in the restaurant. Their secret sauce for success doesn’t have anything to do with the delicious food they are serving but the joy that customers feel when they dine in at any of their restaurants. The atmosphere and feeling of belonging in the restaurant. This was something that just happened naturally from day one but has been the underlying key to success in all of their restaurants. Jayme shares the lessons she has learned along the way about running restaurants, business and life in general. She also gives her advice on being able to balance work and life, why keeping her health a priority is so important and advice on finding the perfect business partner. http://www.unapizzeria.com/ http://www.frenchieyyc.com/ http://www.breadandcircusyyc.com/ https://www.nativetongues.ca/
Welcome to the show Lexi and Dani. These two women are the co-owners and founders of The Gut Lab, a wellness company that is focused on products for a healthy gut. We talk about how important our gut health is and how it impacts every aspect of our life. The women share their story of growing up with bone broth and how they made bone broth cool. They evolved The Gut Lab from just bone broth to a whole array of health products including essential powders, tonics and superfood shakers. We talk about the power of stress and how to manage it as well as other ways to improve gut health and overall wellness. This episode is so full of great tips, tricks and advice for running a business as well as living a healthier life. https://www.instagram.com/loveyourguts/
Welcome to the show Rachel & Dan. The couple teaches spin at YYC Cycle and are both business owners in the real estate space. They share their story on how they met and how they've strengthened and grown their relationship over the years. We talk about the distraction of cellphones and how to reconnect in a relationship. They share the challenges of both being entrepreneurs and how they use strong communication to separate business from their relationship when it's necessary. They give their best relationship advice, their relationship non-negotiable and their favourite date spot. www.instagram.com/_rmorrison_/ www.instagram.com/dmackin/ www.tollo.ca www.instagram.com/tollo.ca
Welcome to the show Amber Romaniuk. Amber is an Emotional Eating, Digestive and Hormone Expert who helps professional women achieve optimal health through mindful eating, self-care and overcoming self-sabotage with food. Her podcast “The No Sugarcoating Podcast” has over 275,000 downloads and she has appeared on local TV 40 times in the last three years alone. Amber overcame her own emotional eating after gaining and losing more than 1000 lbs and spending over $50,000 on binge foods and spending 5 years balancing her hormones and digestion. Now she helps others achieve Body Freedom™ so they have the confidence and health to create amazing lives. We talk about self-care strategies, how social media plays a part in our health and why you have to stop and ask yourself how you're feeling. http://amberapproved.ca/ http://podcast.amberapproved.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/amberromaniuk/
Welcome to the show, Jordyn and Brianna. They are the owners and founders of The Study, a movement and wellness studio in Cochrane Alberta. They share the journey of coming up with the idea of the studio while in university and how they managed to open it and grow a loyal community without having business degrees. They are both creative visionaries and dreamers which is how the studio came to life. Even though there were roadblocks along the way, they both insist that if those mistakes and lessons never happened they wouldn’t be where they are today, celebrating more than two years of being open. They share their advice for people who want to start a business, how they have grown such an incredible team and what they’ve learned about themselves as leaders along the way. Both Jordyn and Brianna share their tips for living a healthy and active life and what the saying Movement is Magic means to them. http://www.herewestudy.ca/welcome.html https://www.instagram.com/the.study/
Welcome to the show, Marie Claire Bourque. MC is a psychiatrist, a university instructor for Med students at the University of Calgary and the co-founder and co-owner of Limbus, a workout based on movement, emotions and inner strength. We talk about how mental health plays a huge role in peak performers such as athletes. How MC took her knowledge and experience from exercise physiology masters to human behaviour psychology and experience with clients and turned it into a group fitness program to create The Methodology behind the Limbus workout. MC describes the different pillars that make up Limbus, connection, challenge, play and growth. She explains how the repetitive movement of the workout is very intentional and connects the mind and body to move through emotions that you’re going through.
She shares her advice for what people should do to strengthen their mental health include the amount of physical activity you should get per week, how gratitude can help and mindfulness. https://www.limbusmovement.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/limbusmovement/ We talk about superpowers as well as what keeps her motivated.
Welcome to the show Vlad Taikov. Vlad is the founder and owner of workmore, a consulting firm that helps businesses understand their why and using design to become successful, one of the people behind the fashion start up MAGARI. He shares his journey of picking up a camera when he was 9 years old, filming his first wedding when he was 14 and starting a business by the time he was in high school. Throughout the episode, Vlad gives nuggets of useful and practical information for people looking to build a brand, start a business and learn. We talk about why you should set up proper contracts, how daily journaling has changed his life and how he disconnects from it all. He shares where he gets his inspiration for his creative work, how his background culture and immigrant parents from Russia gave him a different perspective and why sleep is the most important part of a successful life.
This episode is a solo one with just me talking about creating content for Instagram. I talk about how to get started with a personal brand and how to create good quality content for your feed. I share my advice for taking photos, why you should batch your photoshoots and the camera that I use. I talk about Lightroom, why I use it and what presets I use. I cover sponsored content, my first paid contract and how to get started with working with brands, what I use my media kit for and how I decide who I work with.
Welcome to the show Dave Antony. Dave is my Dad as well as a business man. He started his career as an accountant and transitioned into an investor in small to mid size businesses across different industries. He shares why he decided to leave his practice, what he looks for when choosing which businesses to invest in and his tips for winning pitches. He talks about why the people behind the business are more important than the business itself and the challenges that most businesses face when trying to grow. What the next industry he's investing in is and his advice for people wanting to start a business.
Welcome to the show Jessica Antony. Jessica had a successful career working for a publishing company before stepping out on her own to focus on editing, writing and strategy. Jess shares why she decided to become self-employed and the steps she took to grow her client list. We talk about the flexibility and freedom that comes with being self-employed and how to master it to your advantage and maintain productivity. Jess shares what imposter syndrome is and how to overcome the debilitating feelings of being a phony. She shares her advice for people who want to drop their 9-5 and become self-employed, how people can improve their writing skills and get work published and why networking events are so important even though we all dread them. Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica.antony Website + blog: https://www.anchoreditorial.com/blog
Welcome to the show Kara Chomistek. Kara is the co-founder and co-ower of Park, a fashion show, forum and resource for creatives. Kara talks about how Park came to be, how her engingeering degree and thought process helped in the organization of the business and the challenges her and her business partner have faced in the last 10 years. Kara gives her advice for entreprenuers looking to make the leap starting a business. She advises them to make sure people want your product, they are interested in what you are doing and that you can sustain yourself. She talks about the challenges Park faced while they were running a business before it was a business and why in the 10th year of business did they open up and were transparent about the financial side of the business with the audience. When you can find your 1000 true fans and captive audience, they will be there to support what you’re doing. https://www.ourparkonline.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ourparkonline/
Welcome to the show Betsy & Laura. The two women are the owners and founders of Luscious Hustle, a growing tribe and coaching brand. They are committed to helping women live the best version of themselves and grow side hustles and passions into businesses. We talk about how to price yourself when starting out and why you shouldn’t be ashamed to actually charge people for your services. We chat about using the moon cycle to run and grow your business. How it plays into setting goals or why you feel less motivated on some days. They share their tips and tricks on how to grow a tribe and community and why that is so important in this age of social media. Website: https://www.luscioushustle.com/ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/800802080100895/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luscious.hustle/ Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-luscious-hustle-podcast/id1192043633?mt=2
Welcome to the show, Jay McDonald. Jay is a commerical photograhy, Instagrammer and influencer (even if he doesn't like using the term). In this interview we cover how he evolved his brand from gym rat, to mental health advocate to world explorer and photographer. He shares his advice for people looking to develop a distinguised brand and grow on social media as well as becoming a freelancer, making money doing something you love. You will learn a ton about photography, social media and photoraphy in this interview. Enjoy! https://www.instagram.com/jayrmcdonald/ https://www.instagram.com/romanceyourwild/
Welcome to the show Bayan Sharafi. Bayan is the owner and founder of Baked Brands, a company selling protein, gluten-free doughnuts. What started as a passion for baking and fitness, Bayan would fit in baking between his full time job. He was able to get in contact with enough companies across Canada to sell his doughnuts and was able to go full time. He shares how he grew the company through Instagram and now has a retail location in downtown Calgary. https://bakedbrands.ca/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bakedbrands/ Bayan's Insta; https://www.instagram.com/bayanskitchen/
Welcome to the show Julien and Aurelie. They are the founders of Moonglow Jewerly: moon phase jewelry that is custom to the special moment of your choice. Julien and Aurelie started the business from scratch and growing it to $7 million a year. They share what the journey was like and their advice for starting a business. Make sure you have that passion in your heart and a strong vision for what you're doing. They believed in their product the whole way which kept them motivated to keep going as they were faced with the challenges of being entreprenuers. They share who and when to hire in your business if you want to scale it. You have to realize you can't do everything yourself so it's worth investing in other people to grow. Pay someone to run your business so you can focus on generating more revenue. https://moonglow.ca/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/moonglowjewelry/
Welcome to the show Sawyer Hannay. Sawyer is the founder and owner of Country Liberty, an outdoor lifestyle apparel brand. We recently connected during his first trip out to Alberta where I got to know him and what his brand stands for. Sawyer shares how he has grown the brand and his advice for finding people who resonnate with your brand and would advocate for you even if you weren't incentivising them. When it comes to social media, he says to put yourself out there and ignore the negativity from your friends and the internet. Why building a community is so important and really being on the front line of your business. https://countryliberty.ca/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/countryliberty/ Sawyer's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sawyerhannay/
Welcome to the show Jenna Herbut. Jenna is the co-founder and owner of Make It, a craft sale celebrating its 10th year this year. She talks about how she has always been an entreprenuer from a young age, coming up with new ideas and wanting to help other people along the way. We talk about competing with yourself and comparing your business and ideas to others. Jenna gives her advice for people who want to start a business - when to hire someone, how to prioritize things and why you should get comfortable in the discomfort. http://makeitshow.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/makeitshow/ Jenna's website: http://jennaherbut.com/ Jenna's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/jennaherbut/
Welcome to the show Kayley Reed. Kayley is a freelancer who helps pair up brands and influencers in valuable and authentic collaborations. She spent three years as the CEO of her fashion line start up onluy to realize she didn't want to be in that position. Kayley shares her tips for people thinking about starting a business and why she ultimately left the company that was being featured on websites like People, MTV and HelloGiggles. We chat about all things influencer marketing and what she has learned from being on both sides of a collaboration. She shares her advice for people who want to get into the influencer space and why the algorithm is a good thing. Website: www.kayleyreed.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayley.e/ Self-care Sunday Website: https://www.selfcaresunday.co/ Self-care Sunday Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selfcaresunday/ Self-care Sunday podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/self-care-sunday/id1340719015?mt=2
Welcome to the show Katie Evans. Katie is the found and owner of The Clothing Bar, a brick and mortar consignment store in Calgary. She talks about her passion for consignment clothing, why people should recycle their clothes and not buy into fast fashion. Katie also gives her adivce for people who want to start their own business, how to manuvre the challenges and how to use social media to your advantage. She gives her biggest advice on why you should always ask for help. Book recommendation: E-Myth by Michael Gerber https://www.amazon.ca/Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280 The Clothing Bar: https://www.clothingbarboutique.ca/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/clothing_bar_yyc/ Katie's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/katie.yyc/
Welcome to the show, Laura Berg. Laura is the founder and owner of Nourish Sweat Soul. Laura takes us through her story of losing everything in the 2013 floods in Calgary and how it completely changed her outlook on consumerism, material belongings and life in general. She shares what she’s learned about running her own business, how she structures her day and why you have to be your own cheerleader as an entrepreneur. Nourish Sweat Soul website: https://nourishsweatsoul.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/nourishsweatsoul/ Laura insta: https://www.instagram.com/heyimlb/
Welcome to the show, Marlo Brausse. Marlo is the founder and owner of Barre Body Studio. She has dedicated her life to helping people live better lives whether that was through her work as a probation officer or now, through her fitness classes. Barre Body has been open for almost 6 years now and Marlo shares the ups and downs of running your own business. She also dives deep into finding your own confidence and fighting the negative voices in your head. This was such a powerful epsisode for really believing in yourself and knowing you are enough. Barre Body website: http://barrebodystudio.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/barrebodystudio/ Marlo Insta: https://www.instagram.com/marlobrausse/
Welcome to the show, Taryn Shea. Taryn is the boss babe behind Fit and Chic, an online community and fitness program for women. She is a huge advocate for women supporting women and she loves the energy and passion that comes from the women in her community. We talk about how she grew her business and expanded its reach, how women can start right now to gain more confidence in their life, the biggest challenges she has faced and why she doesn't believe in motivation. This conversation will inspire you to reset your goals and really start living your best life. Insta: www.instagram.com/tarynfitandchic/ website: https://tarynshea.net/
Welcome to the show, Sandip Lalli. Sandip is the President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce with a successful history as a business leader. She shares her advice for entreprenuers starting a business and navigating Calgary's economy. Her biggest failures led to where she is today and there is no such thing as work-life balance. Book recommendation: Factfullness by Hans Rosling https://www.amazon.ca/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814 Malcom Gladwell's podcast episode: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/malcolm-gladwells-12-rules-for-life/id1119389968?i=1000414801884&mt=2 Calgary Chamber of Commerce: https://www.calgarychamber.com/
Welcome to the show, Jackie Chemelli. Jackie is the founder and owner of Lace Brick Design and Baby Brick Brand. She has focused on growing a community of like minded women who thrive in adventure and the outdoors. Jackie shares how she built a brand focused on independent women, the importance of social media and learning to balance a business with 5 month old twin boys.
Welcome to the show, Jodie and Lisa. These two incredible women are the co-founders and owners of phi medical. We chat about what it is like starting and running a business with your best friend, what the biggest myths of botox and fillers are and why it's so important to look and feel your best. phi website: https://www.beautyphi.com/ phi insta: https://www.instagram.com/beauty_phi/
"Welcome to the show, Allison Cullen. Alli is the founder of Beach Beauty and Doe Brow Studio in Calgary. She shares her series of unfortunate events that she has experienced since deciding to start her own business. She shares her best advice, from experience, on how to start a business and the precautions to take at the beginning. Throughout the entire journey, Alli has remained motivated and passionate about providing Calgarians with affordable, healthy beauty. Beach Beauty: http://www.beachbeauty.ca/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/beachbeauty.ca Doe Brows: http://www.dowbrowstudio.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/doebrowstudio Alli's insta: www.instagram.com/goodsandalli/"
"Welcome to the show Kolby Meyers. Kolby is the owner and founder of Simply Modern Marketing, a digital marketing agency that focuses on small businesses. Kolby shares her story of starting her own business and the challenges that come with it, why quality content is so important for brands and her favourite tool, tips and tricks for running successful social media accounts. Simply Modern Marketing www.simplymodernmarketing.ca Insta: www.instagram.com/simplymodernmarketing "
Welcome to the show Andrew Obrecht. Andrew is one of the owners and co-founders of YYC and YEG Cycle. He shares his advice for growing a business, what successful businesses achieve and the importance of building a community founded on human connection. YYC Cycle: www.yyc-cycle.com Insta: www.instagram.com/yyccycle Andrew's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_obrecht/
"Welcome to the show Daniele Druisso. Daniele is a voice coach and leadership specialist and is the owner of Unleash Your Voice, a company dedicated to reconnecting highly successful people to their purpose and brand. She shares how important it is to let down your walls and practicing inner reflection to shift your mindset and life. She shares her tips on tuning into your confidence and making a difference in your company, relationships and life. http://danieledriusso.com/ https://www.instagram.com/Danidriusso/"
Welcome to the show, David Kwinter. David is the founder and owner of Liquid Muscle, a company that makes flavoured egg whites. He shares how the idea grew from his family's egg business in Ontario and spread across the country. He shares his experience with being involved in every step of the process and making sure the brand stays aligned with his and the company's values. David shares his tips on staying authentic on social media and growing a brand online. Liquid Muscle online: http://liquidmuscle.ca/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/liquidmuscle/
"Welcome to the show Mandy Balak. Mandy shares her journey of Date Night, Branded and the Ace Class. What she has learned from starting three different businesses and how major failure helped her grow and learn. There is no work-life balance, but Mandy shares how she manages to stay organized and disconnect. The Ace Class: https://www.theaceclass.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/theaceclass_/ It's Date Night: https://www.itsdatenight.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/datenightyyc/"
Welcome to the show Connor Curran. Connor shares how Local Laundry grew from selling one tshirt a month to a national company while still supporting local. He gives his best life advice for staying focused on your goals, getting the important things done and making the leap to running your own businss. Local Laundry: www.locallaundry.ca Instagram: www.instagram.com/locallaundry Connor's Instagram: www.instagram.com/connorbcurran
Connor's recommendation for avoiding procrastination: Eat that Frog - https://www.amazon.ca/Eat-That-Frog-Great-Procrastinating/dp/1576754227
Welcome to the show Jessica Olstad (or Janzen on Instagram and her blog). In this moving and powerful episode we talk about what Jess discovered about herself and her life after losing her son and using that tragedy to start living life to it's fullest. What is it like running a foundation and raising $250,000? Jess fills us in on the details. We cover advice about experiecing hard and challening moments in life, relationship advice and how to stay organized. Love for Lewiston: http://www.loveforlewiston.ca/ Follow Love for Lewiston: https://www.instagram.com/loveforlewiston/ Follw Jess on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/jsjanzen/ Jess's blog: http://www.jessicajanzen.ca/home/
Welcome to the show Katherine Johnsen. We talk about how Katherine became BeachyKJ, grew her following and creates her beautiful feed. She shares her best advice for people wanting to hustle the gram and become an influencer. Follow her on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/beachykj/
Welcome to the show Sanja Serwa. We discuss Sanja's experience starting an online boutique for natural and organic beauty products. What her top 3 favourite products are right now and how she keeps her life organized while running a business, being a mom of 3 and still managing time for self-care. Vossity: https://vossity.com/ Vossity's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/vossity.beauty/ Sanja's personal account (follow for real life entertainment): https://www.instagram.com/sansanjovs/
Welcome to the first ever episode of Poolside Podcast. Get to know me, Rachel Antony, your host and what you can expect from this podcast. Thanks for listenting!