Category: Uncategorized

Meridth Hammer tried hard to be a good employee, but when she was laid off during the 2007 crash, she ultimately decided it was time to open her own law firm.  She set up the Hammer Legal Group in Indianoplis, and was successful for several years.

Then she got an offer she couldn't refuse at the Cook County Clerk's Office, but eventually knew she wanted to get back to running her own firm, so she started the firm back up from scratch in Chicago.  Her practice focuses on wills, trusts, probate, and real estate.

Along the way, she learned a lot — about setting up and maintaining a business, about what works and what doesn't, about real estate shenanigans, and most importantly, about herself.  She also shares stories of some of the strong women in her life that have been an inspiration to her along the way.

She candidly shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur some of the challenges along the way, with humility, humor, and absolutely a “can-do” attitude.

Click on the arrow to listen and be inspired!  Or, click here if you'd/ prefer to read a transcript of our chat.  Either way, it's well worth your time!

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Kim Meckwood joins The Savvy Entrepreneur Show to share how she invented & developed the Click & Carry device and has successfully grown her business.

She came up with the idea of the Click & Carry to help carry multiple bags of groceries.   Her idea?  A simple handle device that helps shoppers manage and carry multiple bags at once comfortably, either in your hands or over your shoulder, because there's a comfy gel grip  for a hands free carry.

People use it to carry books, paint cans, walk multiple dogs, and even skis and ski boots.

It's a simple device, but there were lots of challenges designing, manufacturing, and marketing the product. Kim shares some of those, as well as how she resourcefully pushed through.

She also shares details about her appearance on Shark Tank, along with advice for people who want to be on the show.

Click on the arrow to take a listen!

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Some people have their best singing moments in the shower.  For Qeepsake founder Jeff McNeil, he thought of the idea for the company one morning while showering.  After kicking around the idea with his co-founder and wife, they started the company as a way to more easily keep track of and document key events in their five kids' lives.

The idea was to prompt Qeepsake subscribers with occasional text questions, like “What is you child's favorite outfit these days?” And Qeepsake then would file all those memories of that child all together.

These days, Qeepsake has expanded to lots more questions, more customized questions, the capacity to uptake photos with captions, and even to produce a

Sample Qeepsake Memory Book

memory book.

It currently has several tens of thousands of subscribers, an investor, and a successful appearance on Shark Tank.

The journey wasn't easy — there were lots of technology issues, and funding was a real challenge.  Jeff candidly shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur many of the speedbumps and joys of founding and growing Qeepsake.

Click on the arrow to listen to this inspiring story!

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The ecosystem for startups has been steadily growing in Traverse City, Michigan and the entire Northern Michigan region.  It's a lovely, affordable place to live, and as remote work grows, more and more skilled workers have gravitated to the area.

And Michigan, and particularly Northern Michigan, have done a great job of supporting the ecosystem for those who want to create their own businesses.  Traverse City has steadily created more and more resources for startups and entrepreneurs, in spite of the pandemic.

And that has led to an outpouring of enthusiasm and events in the form of an inaugural Norther Michigan Startup Week.  Two of the organizers are 20 Fathoms, a co-working space, and TCNewTech, an organization helping startups with training and connections and other support.

Keri Amlotte, from 20 Fathoms, and Jennifer Szunko, from TCNewTech, join The Savvy Entrepreneur to talk about some of the key activities surrounding Northern Michigan Startup Week.  They also share their thoughts on how to successfully build a startup ecosystem.

Click on the arrow to the left and listen to how Northern Michigan is steadily growing its entrepreneurial community.

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Monika Joshi, Founder of Art of Pure, shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur her quest to source and sell sustainable health and beauty products.

A former New York City investment banker, she grew tired of the long hours and time away from her young family.  When she and her family moved back to Chicago, Monika knew it was time to do something different,

When her daughter began struggling with eczema and other skin issues, the dermatologist suggested putting her on steroids.  Monika felt there must be other, more natural alternatives to try first.

That led her on a journey to find truly natural products but all types and health and beauty needs –something that sounds like it should be easy, but definitely is not!  And at that point, Art of Pure was born.

Click on the arrow to take a listen to Monika's story and some of the bumps and challenges she's faced along the way creating and growing Art of Pure.  Or you can read a transcript of the interview here.

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