Category: Uncategorized

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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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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