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Lisa Brown, host of the popular live show Side Hustle Saturday, joins The Savvy Entrepreneur show to talk about growing her platform for black entrepreneurs, and some of the challenges of doing regular live shows.

Side Hustle Saturday is a live show that features black entrepreneurs.  Lisa started the show during COVID.  She says she knew many people were hurting, and many felt isolated.  She wanted to bring together black entrepreneurs into a community where they could share their stories with others.

Her show started on Facebook live, then migrated to Instagram live.  But her show is poised to make the next big jump as a television segment.  She's clearly tapped into something important.

Along with the telling of her journey, we compared notes about how to find great guests, build a community, and ways to monetize a live show or podcast.  We share a lot of laughs.  Even though our missions and platforms are slightly different, there are lots of tips here for anyone thinking about live blogging, podcasting, or doing a radio show.

It's a fun listen — Lisa's warm, down-to-earth and engaging personality makes this a great listen!

Or, if you prefer, you can read a transcript of our chat here.

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Dr. Sherry Benton, Founder of TAO Connect, joins The Savvy Entrepreneur to share how her platform provides alternative ways to support mental health and wellness.

TAO Connect was first created to help support college students who needed mental health support but struggled to get it.  Student need for support is significant, but is woefully underfunded and under-supported on campuses of all sizes.

TAO Connect is a robust digital platform, consisting of more than 175 modules addressing all aspects of mental health and wellness. It also includes various assessments and exercises.  The material can be combined in a variety of ways: to guide those seeking self-help, to aid therapists, or to create or enhance courses.

Mental health issues are chronically underaddressed in most Western countries, and TAO Connect is offering creative, cost-effective ways to meet those needs.

The company has grown rapidly, serving more than 200 colleges and universities.  It has now branched out to offer its non-traditional mental health and wellness support to supplement small companies with their employee benefits.  TAO Connect has also partnered with Canada as part of that country's mental health offerings.

Click on the arrow to take a listen — the issues are important, and TAO Connect's offerings are a creative way to tackle them.  If you'd prefer, you can read a transcript of my chat with Dr. Benton here.

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People appreciate art in its various forms, but they probably don't think about the business of art itself.  Constance Scopelitas, Founder & Owner of Constance Art, has been a successful artist for many years. She joins The Savvy Entrepreneur Show to talk about the business of art and her journey as a self-employed visual artist.

Everyone knows it's a difficult path to make a living as a musician or artist. But it bothers Constance — a lot — that art and music schools and universities continue to crank out graduates, yet never include in their curriculum how to actually start and grow a business around their art.

Constance shares the story of how she built Constance Art through luck, trial and error, persistence, and a lot of hard work. And she offers some valuable pieces of advice for others starting out — things she wishes someone had told her.

Click on the arrow to the left to listen to hear more about the business of art! Or, go here if you'd prefer to read a transcript of our chat.

And take a look at a couple of Constance's works while you're here!  They're amazing! 

 

 

 

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mHub Chicago is an award-winning startup business ecosytem for manufacturing .  Its goal to help ensure that the manufacturing industry which has been so important in Illinois and the Midwest over the years continues to accelerate, grow and thrive.  Although it's a nonprofit, it probably best is described as a public-private partnership, funded with both public money and corporate sponsorships.

Melissa Lederer, Chief Experience Officer at mHub, joined The Savvy Entrepreneur show recently to talk about the mHub community and some of its programs and accomplishments.

The mHub community includes over 350 active and alumni startups, supported by a deep talent pool of product designers and developers, entrepreneurs, engineers and manufacturers and a host of other experts designed to help support commercialization of new manufacturing related businesses, resulting in intellectual property growth, along with revenue and job creation

Since launching in 2017, it has helped companies launch more than 1200 products new products, hired more than 2100 employees, and raised nearly 702 million in capital.  mHub's close partnerships with area manufacturing companies offers more rapid go-to-market opportunities, real-time mentoring and feedback, and expedited exit strategies to its member startup companies.

It has also recently branched out to create a formal accelerator program, offering startup seed funding to innovative manufacturing startups in exchange for equity.  The new offering has attracted startups not only from the Midwest, but from across the U.S. and internationally as well.

The mHub community is thriving and vibrant, and Melissa shares some of the ecosytem's successes.  Having seen lots of companies come through the program and drawing upon her past experience with 1871 and Matter in Chicago, she offers some advice to help startup businesses increase their chances of success.

It's a great listen — Melissa's enthusiasm for mHub and what they are doing there shines through!  Click on the arrow to the left to listen.  Or, go here if you'd prefer to read a transcript of the show.

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Franchising is an option that many people should consider if they want to own their own business — especially if they are not sure how to get started.  And franchising & women are a particularly good combination.

Tamika Franklyn, Founder of Precision Franchise, joins The Savvy Entrepreneur show to talk about some of the many advantages of franchising. She also shares why franchising may be a particularly good option for women entrepreneurs. She dispels the notion that you need brick and mortar to build a successful franchise. Similarly, there are franchises that require far less than 20 hours a week, and can be built on your timeline.

It's a great listen, and chockful of great advice and insights! Click on the arrow to the left to listen.  Or, if you'd prefer to read a transcript of our chat, click here.

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