ConnectDFW: Recent Episodes
Teresa Kitchens
ConnectDFW is a podcast dedicated to highlighting Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) businesses and hearing their stories, learning from their successes and helping others down their business path.
How do you turn your passion into a thriving business? Do you have the resilience to walk through the challenges of a small business and find a way?
In this episode of the ConnectDFW podcast, we have Donna Collins, the founder of the 26-time World Award Winning Jelly Queens. Jelly Queens is a little organic jelly and jam company, which has a devotion to organic living through sustainable agriculture and food manufacturing. Donna describes the process of traditionally manufacturing jam and jelly plus their experience with the market so far.
She shares her story of how she went from the MasterChef show to building a thriving food business. Listen in to learn how to be resilient enough to overcome the different challenges of a small business.
Top Takeaways:
- How to turn your passion into a thriving business.
- How to be resilient to continue driving your small business to success despite the challenges.
- The different ways you can pivot your small business and keep surviving amid a crisis.
Episode Timeline:
- [0:22] Intro
- [1:48] Donna on how she was inspired to start a food business and eventually a jelly and jam company.
- [6:30] How she garnered the courage to be more creative and venture into her area of business.
- [10:33] How she utilizes Texas’s growing days to locally source foods for her business.
- [12:18] She explains where the idea and interest for raw foods came from.
- [17:10] Their use of organic cooking sugar and food-safe essential oils plus the process they use to source for them.
- [19:16] How Jelly Queens is scaling slowly despite the existing challenges.
- [23:27] How Covid allowed Donna to pivot from a commercial kitchen to a retail outlet.
Connect With Teresa:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresakitchens/
- Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com
Relevant Links:
- Website: https://www.thejellyqueens.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejellyqueens/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-c-39490b4a/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejellyqueens
How are you showing up for your business on social media? Did you know you can utilize social media in the best way to provide value and, in turn, grow your business exponentially?
In this episode of the ConnectDFW podcast, we have Kyle Draper, speaker and a content coach for realtors. Kyle shares how he transitioned from a pastor to a businessman and later to a content coach.
He explains the power of social media as an impact tool for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. Listen in to learn the meaning of content compounding and how to utilize it to show up on social media and grow your business.
“If all I do is attempt to not look boring on social media, what I end up doing is being unrelatable to people.”- Kyle [9:40]
Top Takeaways:
- How to come into terms with your insecurities and do what you have to do anyway.
- How to use social media to create a valuable brand that positions you now and in the future.
- The importance of creating and presenting valuable and non-salesy content to your audience.
- How to utilize content compounding to connect with your clients and keep up with the times.
Episode Timeline:
- [0:23] Intro
- [2:09] Kyle’s transitioning from a pastor to businessman to a social media expert.
- [6:33] How to approach social media for your business to create an impact.
- [18:23] The strategy to use to narrow down on the best social media platform for your business.
- [21:12] How to repurpose content plus get value from other people’s content.
- [26:48] How Kyle helps entrepreneurs utilize the power of content compounding.
- [30:02] Understanding who can do content compounding, how, and the advantages of it.
- [41:55] Kyle on why you need to pivot it and show up on social media to grow your business.
- [43:07] Stories of two people who showed up on social media and skyrocketed their businesses.
Connect With Teresa:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresakitchens/
- Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com
Connect With Kyle:
- Website: https://www.kyledraper.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkyledraper/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyle.r.draper.3
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachkyledraper/
Are your systems and processes geared towards the scalability of your business? Scaling your business requires you to lead from the front by empowering your team and efficiently managing your time.
In this episode of the ConnectDFW podcast, we have Jay Choquette, the Vice President of X8 IT Executive Search. He explains how they help small businesses achieve the professional look of big businesses while retaining the heart of a small business.
Jay explains the different ways you can centralize your systems and processes to run efficiently and scale your business. Listen in to learn the importance of empowering your team to strive for efficiency and achieve success for themselves and your business.
“You’re the guardian of your own team; it’s your job to make sure that the people on your team are taken care of.”- Jay [29:41]
Top Takeaways:
- How to master the art of time management to scale and drive your business.
- How to lead your business from the front and drive it to success.
- Why you shouldn’t only hire people from your industry but instead hire problem solvers.
- How to empower your team by prioritizing their wellbeing and making them problem solvers.
Episode Timeline:
- [0:24] Intro
- [2:00] Jay on how he helps businesses look like big businesses with the heart of small businesses.
- [3:50] The importance of professional marketing materials and centralization of processes.
- [9:23] How to time manage your tasks and automate redundant tasks to run your business effectively.
- [17:31] Learning how to let go and delegate tasks in your business to be free.
- [21:10] Learning how to lead your business from the front and be a problem solver.
- [27:34] How to create a connected and invested team and clients through communication.
- [33:16] The strategy of making your team the priority as part of your business’s work culture.
Connect With Teresa:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sterlinginsurancegrouptx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlinginsurancetx/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresakitchens/
- Website: https://www.sterlinginsnow.com
Connect With Jay:
- Website: https://x8webdesign.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaychoquette/
- Business Phone: (214) 901-7245
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/x8webdesign