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Jesse Byrd has already accomplished amazing things.  From a college basketball scholarship player, to authoring and publishing childrens' books, to starting his own publishing house, with stops in Dubai and Silicon Valley along the way, it's clear Jesse's mind is always working. 

He joins The Savvy Entrepreneur show to talk about his journey to create Jesse B. Creative, a publishing house featuring under-represented children's book authors and illustrators.  He shares a little bit about what it's like inside the children's book publishing world, as well as lots of tips for budding entrepreneurs and aspiring book authors.

Click on the arrow to take a listen!  Or if you prefer, you can read a transcript of the interview here!

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It's clear that Elaine Frei, Founder & President of Luft Balloon, delights in the sheer joy of sharing colorful balloon bursts and balloon art.

She creates balloon art for her customers, but also loves giving back to her Chicago community.  The company frequently “balloon bombs” first responders, front-line workers, and small businesses that have gone above and beyond, just because they want to spread that joy.

Luft Balloon prides itself on the enormous range of colors of its balloons.  Elaine likens most balloon colors to the old, original Crayon box.  She “double stuffs” her balloons, and uses high-quality latex and messaging on the balloons.  She also adds her flair for color and design by creating jaw-dropping art with her balloons.

Here are just a few examples, but check out her website for a few of her amazing creations: 

Elaine shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur her interesting journey from landscape architect to CEO of a fast-growing startup focused on balloons.  And she candidly shares some of the challenges of growing so fast.

It's a delightful listen, and will leave you smiling and wanting to balloon bomb someone tomorrow!  Click on the arrow to listen, or go here to read a transcript of the interview.

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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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