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Stacey Kohler, Founder & CEO of Kiddy Crawler, was a new grandmother.  And she was on a mission to find the Crawligator for her new granddaughter.  Stacey remembered the Crawligator from her childhood and how it helped kids develop mobility and core strength.

She found an old one on ebay, and bought it.  But that lead her to wonder what happened to this amazing toy.  It turns out, it ended up in the dust bin, sort of like the toys in the movie Toy Story.  Stacey revived the toy, found a way to manufacture it to today's standards, and is rapidly growing her company.

Her story is one of persistence, determination, taking one step at a time, and asking for and finding help in many places.  She shares her story on The Savvy Entrepreneur, and offers plenty of lessons learned for others starting out.

It's a wonderful story, with a completely relatable founder, and one helping kids' development.  Click on the arrow to listen, or go here for a transcript of the interview.

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The Julie O'Brien Design Group has been a successful Indiana-based interior design company for residential and restaurants for many years.  So you know the owner and founder, Julie O'Brien, is doing a lot of things right.

She joins The Savvy Entrepreneur to talk about her journey:  how she got started, how she self-funded her business, and tips for other women entrepreneurs that she's learned along the way.  She also shares some of the challenges of the interior design business, and how it continues to change and challenge small business people in the business.

Julie is candid, and shares some of the joys and the speed bumps, while giving us a glimpse into the world of interior design.  Here are a few examples of the work done by the Julie O'Brien Design Group: 

Click on the arrow to the left to listen, or you can go here to read a transcript of our chat. It's a fun listen —  Enjoy!

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When you ask business people what public relations is, some may think of press releases.  On the other end of the spectrum, many think public relations today is mostly about social media postings and engagement.  Or maybe they think of movie trailers and TV interviews for rock and movie stars.

Jennifer Fortney, President of Cascade Communications, joins The Savvy Entrepreneur Show to talk about what public relations (PR) is, and what it isn't.  And who should consider doing more PR, and when.

Jennifer has more than 20 years in the business, and is the author of “Pitched:  A Simple DIY Guide to Public Relations for Small Business,” available on Amazon.com, or directly from Jennifer's site.

In her view, public relations is the image of your company, and what people think of you.  She's a big fan of refining your story, your why, and making sure this is absolutely consistent across various media that you use.  She's also adamant about making sure you know your audience, which will drive which media channels are most impactful for your business.

Click on the arrow to listen to some great, actionable advice about public relations, or go here to read a transcript of the interview.

And if you'd like to learn more, here are some helpful resources Jennifer has provided:

“Do These 6 Things to Improve Your Digital Marketing”
“Is Your Business Really Ready for PR? This Checklist Will Save You Time & Money”

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Erika Lacroix has successfully built EZ Breathe Home Solutions, a construction-related business.  She is a kind of unicorn, thriving in what is still traditionally a man's world.

She says she was always more of a tomboy, which no doubt helped prepare her for her role with EZ Breathe.  And her down-to-earth, funny, no-nonsense approach probably did as well.

She shares the story of her journey with me on The Savvy Entrepreneur.  She also shares plenty of tips for other women entrepreneurs operating in this world.  She has navigated bumps along the way, but is fiercely dedicated to her customers, as you'll hear in my interview with her.

Click on the arrow to the left to listen, or click here if you'd prefer to read a transcript of the show.  It's well worth the listen!

 

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Dr. Phillip Meade is passionate about business culture change and his company's Missing Links culture change model.  He joins The Savvy Entrepreneur Show to talk about how humans naturally resist change, but also how Gallaher Edge's Missing Links culture change model can help organizations create and follow an effective blueprint.

The Missing Links model has four strands:  Maturity, Diversity, Community, and Unity.  The Maturity piece is particularly interesting, as it deals with our many human defense mechanisms that resist change.  Phillip points out how an entrepreneur or owner's attachment to their business as “their baby” directly leads to challenges in scaling the organization.  It's a fascinating look inside the human psyche, and the things we often hide from ourselves!

Meade also talks about the upcoming book that he authored, entitled “The Missing Links:  Launching a High Performing Company Culture,” available at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  The book, he says, is intended to both be an overview of business culture, as well as a resource for those who want to attempt culture change on their own.

Click on the arrow to the left to listen.  Or, go here to read a transcript of the show.

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