Life circumstances are always changing and there are times in life when you have the opportunity to take a leap, explore your interests, and experiment in business. When getting started, you should consider factors like expertise, competitors, demand, costs, and pricing. Questions to ask yourself include: What am I great at doing? How do I choose a business model? How can a business partner support success? 

In this episode, Alison Chisolm, a multi-passionate and multifaceted business owner, shares how she reinvented herself, and how experimenting with the type of business contributed to finding the perfect one for her. We also discuss how a business partner can help you develop and succeed, and why it’s important to understand your beliefs and risk tolerance in order to be aligned in your business.

She brings us along her journey on what helped her start and find business success, gave tips to build and scale your business using your competitors as teachers, and put boundaries around your work.

If you’re an aspiring business owner who’s unsure of your true passion and don’t know where to start, Alison’s various business experiences and passion for helping women achieve their dreams will truly motivate you.

Thriving Points:

• You have to be a little bit risk-preferring to be a successful entrepreneur.
• The most important thing is that we share values about how to run a business and what we’re in it for. We are very open about how much money we each need to make.
• Be ruthless about the financials, particularly about the value of your time.
• If you can step away, feed the other parts of your life, and put boundaries around your work. You will ultimately be more successful and more productive.
• There is potential in every person and I help them reveal that potential.

Get to Know the Guest:

        Alison Chisolm is the co-founder of the Inline app, Head of College Counseling for Ivy College  Consulting, and is the coordinator for the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at River Valley Community College.  Her professional career has taken her from law practice into higher and secondary education, social services, and entrepreneurship. She helps women author their own stories and achieve their dreams.

Connect with Alison:

• Email
• Anna Ivey Consulting
• Inline Coach
• River Valley Community College

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• The CEO mindset is vital for you to thrive in business.
• Confidence is about believing that you will be successful and not being surprised by the success.
• Confidence stays ready.
• Confidence leans into the idea that there’s always going to be an opportunity on the horizon.
• Confidence lets you take that next step without knowing exactly how it was going to play out.
• Confidence is unapologetic about who you are, and it doesn’t require you to dim your light in the face of anyone.
• Believe in yourself. Trust that you are going to make things happen.
• Confidence sees the greatness in you, even when you do not.

• LinkedIn
• Instagram

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Entrepreneurship is not an entitlement, but a commitment. An entrepreneur’s life is full of challenges that ultimately builds a strong foundation for a business that can shape society.

The entrepreneurial journey may bring many unforeseen and unexpected aspects, yet these will produce rich and powerful experiences that can help us fulfill our vision and achieve our maximum potential.

Jenn Urso, professional business coach and founder of Activate Within, joins us on this episode and shares how she followed her spirit and embarked on a six-month journey, which paved her way to entrepreneurship.

We talk about her transition from being an employee to a business owner, how she became clear on finding the right people to serve, and the impact of the pandemic on expanding her passion for organizational change, healing, and growth.

Thriving Points:

• It’s not easy when your mind is firmly planted in a place and your heart and your spirit want to take you away to another place.
• The entrepreneurship journey is a long and big one, and it’s always going to bring unforeseen aspects, but I think that it’s so rich and it’s so beautiful.
• We all have to believe that there’s enough for all of us to be safe, secure, and thriving in this world.
• It’s important to connect to the inner parts of yourself and allow yourself to feel all the emotions that come with it. Because once you’re on an awakening journey, it just continues to unfold layer by layer, level by level, and that includes the journey through entrepreneurship.
• When an organization wants to transform from the inside out, they’re giving everyone permission to grow and bring their whole self to work.
• As we move forward with a new lens of awareness and are really mindful about, how we’re showing up as people, how we’re showing up as leaders, how we’re showing up as businesses in society, that there will be a reckoning, if you will, about what it means to have power.

Get to Know the Guest:

        Jenn Urso is a business coach and the founder of Activate Within, a coaching and consulting firm in Asheville, North Carolina. Activate Within Coaching & Consulting offers leadership coaching around what it means to be a professional in today’s environment, with a lens of awareness and mindfulness. Jenn works with organizations, small through large, on reimagining the workplace of the future and on using awareness as the grounding agent for organizational change, healing, and growth.

Connect with Jenn:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
  

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What legacy have you inherited from your family?  What knowledge or traditions have been passed down to you that could help you be healthier, live a better life, or create a business?

For some of us, the term “legacy” likely conjures up the idea of money, property, or other material objects.  If you dig a bit deeper, you’ll likely remember words of wisdom and ways of being that connects your family across generations. Couple that legacy with your own life experiences and you will have a recipe for success.

My guest, Paula Farve, spent her childhood gardening and learning about herbs from her Native American father and grandmother. Little did she know that those teaching moments combined with her Army veteran discipline and drive would lead to her becoming the “Shea Queen”. As the founder of Naturally for Me Shea Butter, LLC, Paula creates handmade, natural products for skin and hair.  She grows herbs and creates her infusions to ensure product quality and purity.

In this week’s episode, Paula shares the inspiration for her business, some of the tough decisions and personal sacrifices she’s made to create success, why mentorship and collaboration are essential to thriving in business. Listen in as she shares tips for aspiring women entrepreneurs.

Thriving Points:

• There are so many different milestones in my business that changed the game but I felt like creating my own infusions changed the game for me.
• Sometimes you can stand in your way, so you have to be open to learning.
• I learned how to take constructive criticism and value collaboration.
• You have to learn to put yourself out there especially when you’re setting the example for yourself.
•  A lot of people buy into your story and how you represent yourself.
• I have a product that I believe in, I can stand by, and I have a passion to present.
• You have to have someone positive in your corner who has a business sense, someone who can guide you, and someone that’s not afraid to give you information.
• Remember that your dream is your dream. They can’t see your vision. Your vision has to be so far-fetched that they can’t see it.
• Passion comes with a purpose. Once you find your purpose, you’ll never work another day in your life.

Get to Know the Guest:

        Paula Farve, also known as the “Shea Queen”, is a mother of two and grandmother of three. She is the CEO/Founder of Naturally for Me Shea Butter, LLC, Army Veteran, and Minority-Owned (Native and African American.) Known as The Real Shea Queen, Paula developed a formula to treat her son’s eczema while gaining financial freedom after her long-term marriage ended in divorce. She has successfully become an herbalist to master her craft and developed a line of handmade, all-natural products for skin and hair.

Paula holds wholesale contracts globally for her business and has mentored her peers to overcome obstacles to become successful entrepreneurs. She has been interviewed by Black Wall Street Radio Podcast and The Empowerment Advocate, Dr. Yolanda Jerry, in Using Your Pain Gain. She is an up-and-coming author with Black Author’s Rock Publishing Company. Paula served as an Ambassador for Success Woman’s Conference and Keynote Speaker for Comeback Champion Summit and Black CEO Icon. Her goal is to empower other women that are starting over to know that there is no age limit in obtaining their dreams.

Connect with Paula:

• Website
• Linktree

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 My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive;
and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

 – Maya Angelou –

“Thriving is business” is a mindset and it’s one that every entrepreneur can adopt within their business. This mindset will determine whether you are a business owner who is “barely making it” or one that achieves success.  One of my first business coaches shared her philosophy on marketing that has always stuck with me – she said, “I am looking for the client that is looking for me.  I don’t chase, cajole, or convince anyone.  I am the answer to their problem.” She didn’t say it to brag or boast, however, that was the energy she brought to interactions with potential clients.   I have adopted that same approach in building my coaching business by offering solutions to my clients’ biggest challenges, sharing resources, and connecting them to specialized advisors.

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur with the vision of excelling in your business, this episode is perfect for you. In this episode, I share three tips that are the basic building blocks for a sustainable business. My goal is to help and guide you in your journey as a thriving entrepreneur.

I believe that we all can flourish as long as we know how to lay the proper foundation to build a strong and stable business, including formalizing your business structure, establishing your values, and nurturing innovation.

Check out my complimentary Mind the G.A.P. Strategy Guide to pave your way towards a thriving business!

Thriving Points:

• Thriving is about an abundance mindset that allows for the generosity of spirit and time.
• To thrive means to grow, develop well or vigorously, and to prosper or flourish.
• Determine the types of clients and the type of services or products that you will provide, ensure that what your business does aligns with your values and what you want to see in the world.
• Make sure that the business that you have aligns with your values and cultivates a positive business reputation that will serve you well, going forward.
• The path to a thriving business includes being open to learning, either from both formal and informal training, mentoring relationships, or collaborations and partnerships.
• All of us can thrive.
• I’m committed to helping you thrive in business through the information, interviews, and guidance that I provide on this podcast, as well as through my consulting and business coaching services that I provide to small businesses and individuals, entrepreneurs.
• You need to open a business bank account, separate your business and your finances.
• Continue to learn through action and experimentation because sometimes you don’t know what you can do or what you can accomplish.

About the Show:
         Women Thriving in Business features candid unscripted conversations with entrepreneurs, business experts, authors, and academics aimed at contributing to business success. This weekly show provides interviews with business leaders who have built, grown, and are thriving in business. Nikki A. Rogers, host of the show, also discusses achievements, lessons learned, and advice for aspiring business owners to develop the mindset, strategies, and connections necessary to thrive in business. Whether you are just starting or you have been in business for decades, WTiB offers inspiration, strategies, and resources to help you THRIVE in business.

About the Host:

        Nikki is a strategist and transformation coach who believes life is too short not to do what you love. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs build sustainable companies and supports business leaders in developing the mindset, strategy, and connections to create thriving businesses and build legacy wealth.

Nikki is the CEO of The Bladen Group and an alumna of North Carolina A&T State University and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Connect with Nikki:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Download the Mind the G.A.P. Strategy Guide

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How do you respond to adversity and challenges in life and business?

As children, everything seems possible. We imagine what life will be like — we make plans and dream about the future.  Then, we grow up and often decide to choose a conventional, traditional career path because it seems safe. In this week’s episode, you will discover that it is never too late to realize your dreams.  No matter how old you are, childhood experiences and aspirations can provide clues for future success.

Our guest, Linda Jordon, started her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 12, selling shoes door-to-door. Linda went on to graduate from college and began what would become a thirty-year career in the corporate world. A health crisis reminded Linda of her self-employment dreams, and within two weeks of her diagnosis, she retired and started the first of five businesses.

Drive, desire, and resilience are key elements for success in business and will help you to overcome fears and pursue life goals. Linda relied on those personal traits to overcome the initial challenges in starting her business, which included determining how to properly set up the business, securing financial investment, and learning how to best market her services.

Linda shares the importance of starting a business, of building your credibility, the distinction between marketing and revenue generation, and many more helpful tips for emerging entrepreneurs.

Take inspiration from how her being the first family member to entrepreneurship has impacted her family, and why it’s important she shares her knowledge with the younger generation.

Thriving Points:

• The diagnosis allowed me to look at my life and do a self-assessment to determine what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and my purpose in life.
• You have to market your business very similar to that particular audience of what it is and how you want them to see your business so they know that you can help them solve that problem.
• My greatest challenge is helping leaders understand the importance of what it is and what it takes to be a leader because it takes a lot of time to spend with your team, to balance your work and your life, and it’s all about making sure that that leader has time for him or herself so that they can be the best that they can be.
• I realized I needed to speak more about the importance of being a good leader, being a strong leader, being an influential leader, and being a leader as someone who cares about people.
• If I help enough people get what they want, I’ll get what I want.
• Money is not the only currency, when you can have more time with family, friends and help your fellow man, to me, that’s just as good as money. – Linda Jordon

Get to Know the Guest:

       Linda Jordon is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur, and breast cancer survivor who currently owns and operates five companies and is the Founder of her non-profit company, Breast Cancer Angel Network, Inc. She is also the CEO and founder of LRJ Coaching & Business Solutions which helps corporate executives and organizations redefine success and achieve more than they ever thought possible, and help their clients maximize growth while being inclusive in the workplace.

Connect with Linda Jordon and schedule your 30 min freedom of choice call:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

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Ideas for business can spring from any aspect of your life – a childhood passion, market demand, or by identifying a better way to connect creatives and clients. When starting a business, we face different challenges from developing the vision or goal of your company, raising your capital or budget, dealing with competition, and many more.  As an entrepreneur, our job is to nurture our ideas as we navigate the challenges, barriers, and self-doubts that may arise. We have to believe that our ideas are valuable, needed, and will produce a ripple effect on the world.

In our episode today, we have Ashley M. Williams who will share her journey in building her business,  the struggles she faced and how she was able to overcome them, and how her parents encouraged and pushed her to continue to pursue her business.

We will also tackle more on how she was able to connect content creators to brands as partners, what pushed her to pursue this type of business, how she has navigated the tech world as a non-tech founder, and why believing in yourself is important. Join us in our episode today!

Thriving Points:

• I created RIZZARR in order to be able to help them build their portfolio, get real-world experience, working with brands of all capacities, and help these brands to figure out how to reach Millennials and Gen Z. – Ashley M. Williams
• There are just these glass ceilings placed upon us in society and we are constantly breaking them in order for people to fully realize what we’re capable of. -Ashley M. Williams
• My goal is to be able to contribute back to the community, to help other black women start companies, and to change the dynamics of our communities. – Ashley M. Williams
• Not everybody is supposed to get the vision because it was only given to you at this point and the people who get it are supposed to be with you. -Ashley M. Williams
• It’s about attracting the right people and repelling the wrong people. – Nikki Rogers
• Many times people are not successful just because they couldn’t hang on. – Ashley M. Williams
• I had the tenacity and the courage to keep going and to keep getting rejections because the beauty of it was that I started to really mold into solely becoming the person that I believed I could be. – Ashley M. Williams
• Persistence always pays off. – Ashley M. Williams
• We can really make our dreams become a reality and everything does happen for a reason. – Ashley M. Williams

Get to Know the Guest:

        Ashley M. Williams is the leading Millennial and Gen Z content marketing strategist, spokesperson, consultant, and a global speaker for brands that want to reach younger generations — helping brands to create the right content, craft the right messages, and produce experiences that bring them, Millennials, and Gen Z together. She is excited and determined to use her love of journalism, social media, and life experiences to inform and inspire.

Ashley is the founder and CEO of RIZZARR, a tech-enabled content marketplace. Through RIZZARR, brands are able to find and work with Millennial and Gen Z content creators worldwide – particularly nano-influencers and micro-influencers.

In her spare time, Ashley is a board member for various mission-driven entities that connect with topics of importance to her. In September 2020, Ashley was recognized by DBusiness Magazine and placed on its 30 in Their Thirties list.

Connect with Ashley:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Visit her company RIZZARR:

• Company Website

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  “Every ‘overnight’ success has been years in the making.” 

In order to start a business, you need to have the courage to  face the fear of failure and possible rejection because it’s not always rainbows and butterflies in business. Facing your fear will be the first step toward becoming an entrepreneur.

In this episode, I interview Raechelle “Rae” Johnson, Founder of Kreative Ink LLC.  Known as the Solution Architect, she lends her platform to share her expertise in coaching and training future entrepreneurs.

Learn more about her business to understand the difference between scaling and growing your business and how to  pivot your business with less stress. Master the strategies and learn from her experiences,  how she overcame the challenge of marketing and selling herself , the importance of planning, and three valuable tips to thrive in your business.

Thriving Points:

• Fear can hinder us from actually jumping out and starting a business. -Raechelle Johnson
• The best thing to do is to take into consideration what is comfortable fiscally for your lifestyle, as well as your time, and then map it out accordingly for how to wean yourself off of a paycheck. – Raechelle Johnson
• False humility is also where you refuse to say how good you are at something you are good at. – Raechelle Johnson
• A lot of women don’t get what they deserve in the marketplace because we’re not as aggressive as we should be for the fear of being painted incorrectly. – Raechelle Johnson
• Show up strong and know who you are, know what you provide, and show up as that person every day – Raechelle Johnson
• Have a plan even if you’re wanting to transition. Start thinking about it sooner rather than later. – Raechelle Johnson
• Understand why you’re doing your business. – Raechelle Johnson
• Learn as much as you possibly can about your business and it should always be something that you are very passionate about. – Raechelle Johnson
• Find a support system, and it is not always family and friends. – Raechelle Johnson
• Don’t be scared and don’t let anybody who’s afraid for you stop you. – Raechelle Johnson
• Find those persons that will add value to what you’re doing and seek those persons to start being your support and your foundation because you’re going to need them to help build you and to grow. – Raechelle Johnson

Get to Know the Guest:

       Raechelle “Rae” Johnson is an Evolution Coach, Media Personality, International Speaker, and Author who specializes in Innovation Strategy. With her credentials and expertise, she provides her clients with foresight, growth, and innovation for real-world solutions. Also, know as the Solution Architect, Raechelle navigates the complexity of challenges with opportunities while managing change. Lending her platform and expertise, she extends the reach of her client’s full potential, paving the way to success on their terms.

Whenever not speaking or coaching she can be found prepping for Kreative Insights (currently streaming on OnStage Plus) her Digital Program powered by the Shawn Fair Channel; engaging with her networks on social media; or training and coaching speakers in her role as the VP of Global Sales and Marketing for the Fair Leadership Experience Tours.

Connect with Raechelle:

• Website 
• Instagram 
• Facebook
• LinkedIn 

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