Follow the Breadcrumbs

Let's talking about having a niche! The best, most talented and popular people you can think of all have a niche! And you should too! It's easy to be scared to niche down because people often only think of all the business they might be losing out of, when in reality niching down will bring you more business and allow you to charge more. Listen to find out why!

At the young age of 8 months, Kate McRostie was already spending time propped up in a hand painted high chair coloring for hours at a time. In addition to the natural talent she possesses, Kate took formal drawing lessons throughout grade and high school and attended The Atlanta College of Art where she attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Kate successfully started and ran decorative painting businesses in Wilmington, North Carolina, San Diego, California, and Denver, Colorado as she moved with her military husband. Kate works out of a studio near her home in Wilmington, NC and continues to draw inspiration from life, nature and the people around her. She currently sells her one-of-a-kind coastal artwork in Crabby Chic located in Wilmington, NC. You can find Kate at: https://www.instagram.com/katemcrostie

Wilmywoodie's goal from the beginning was to create a business that was different. They wanted to really stand out. So, they created the WilmyWoodie. A Wood Fired Pizza Truck like none other. It's 20 feet of kitchen on wheels capped off with a 100% wood fired oven mounted off the back of the truck, flown in all the way from California. In the same respect as the truck design, they wanted their pizza to stand out as well. So they offer their own style of wood fired pizza where the crust is softer rather than crunchy. And let me just tell you, it's amazing. They've been in business since 2018 and have managed to make it through the pandemic and a whole lot of competition popping up in the food truck world. I'm so glad to be able to call them friends and I hope you enjoy my conversation today with Kevin on all things business, competition and what it takes to make a successful business. You can find WilmyWoodie at: www.wilmywoodie.com https://www.instagram.com/wilmywoodie_pizzatruck https://www.facebook.com/wilmywoodie You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon www.thestylingsource.com www.instagram.com/thestylingsource danalaymon@gmail.com

We're all afraid of standing out. Since we were young, all we wanted was to fit in. To buy the right clothes and wear the right shoes and say the right things. That might have served us at one point in our lives but it's no way to live. God made you with special, unique qualities and it's time you embrace them and love the idea of being different. Because no two people are ever going to be the same! Not only will this help you in life but also in business. There are a million florists, or photographers, or podcasters. What makes you special? What makes your store so unique? You want to be memorable. And once you can begin to love the qualities that make you special, I know others will embrace them and love them right back.

The age old question of what are meant to be doing in this life? I think you'll find relief in my answer. We tend to overthink things that are actually really simple. Just start with something you like doing, figure out a way to make money doing it and go from there! There's no rule that says you can't change what you do down the road. People do it all the time! Make a plan of action and get to it! And if you need some help along the way, I'm always here.

How do you set boundries within your business? What does it look like to have a business partner and what strategies can you put in place to ensure it's successful? Drewe and Kate shed some light on these topics in today's episode. Drewe and Kate Branding Co. is a creative studio that specializes in brand photography, website design and social media management. Their goal is to help you communicate the look and feel of your business clearly and cohesively to your clients from day 1 of your business. I loved getting to hear about their entrepreneurial journey and how they got to where they are today. You can find find Drewe and Kate at: www.DrewandKate.com www.instagram.com/DreweandKate You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon www.thestylingsource.com www.instagram.com/thestylingsource danalaymon@gmail.com

What is that wall that constantly seems in front of us and keeping us from doing the things we know we need to do? Whether it's in our business, in our marriage, in our relationships, in our health, etc. Today I talk about the different types of resistance we may be facing and what the #1 way to overcome that resistance is. Just remember that you are here to serve! It's not about you! You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon www.thestylingsource.com www.instagram.com/thestylingsource danalaymon@gmail.com

Do you have a fear of success and making money? All of us have some sort of mindset around money and lot of what we think when it comes to money is holding us back from making more. In today's episode, I talk about what the fear of success really means and the different hinderances you can have around money and making way more than you do now. It's our responsibility to make money and use it wisely! You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon www.thestylingsource.com www.instagram.com/thestylingsource danalaymon@gmail.com

Do you want to start your own business but hold back because you're afraid it's not going to work and you're going to fail? Today I address failure and how you can avoid "failure" in your business. It's all about taking calculated risks and growing slow. There are certain steps you can follow to ensure that you have a successful business. Hopefully you can use these in your business. I'm always here to help if you have any questions! You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon www.thestylingsource.com www.instagram.com/thestylingsource danalaymon@gmail.com

I'm so excited for you to listen to today's podcast. I actually met Dakota when she was interning with me in my photography business. I loved working with her and was excited to see she had decided to finally pursue a career in photography. But with a background in marketing, she's decided to help with businesses infuse more of themselves into what they do. Over the years she has wholeheartedly pursued creating a client experience that reflects the love and excitement she has for both beautiful images and the people in them. She's thankful to have built a business that allows her to spend her days with other people who are celebrating the most exciting seasons of life and being the one that makes sure they can remember it forever. When she's not doing photography, she is busy working on her new house or playing with her dog, Dune, at the beach. You can find Dakota: www.dakotahersey.com www.instagram.com/dakotaherseyphotography www.facebook.com/dakotaherseyphotography You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon www.thestylingsource.com www.instagram.com/thestylingsource danalaymon@gmail.com

I've basically watched Emmanuel grow up and follow his passion, regardless of what everyone around him was advising him to do. He now owns Inhale More, a hemp based company out of North Carolina. He also is a distributor of other hemp company products and has the goal to serve others and improve their health through hemp products. It's extremely interesting to listen to his journey and overcome every obstacle that has been thrown his way because there have definitely been a lot! If you think you've had road blocks in your business, be thankful you're allowed to post on Instagram! But he know it's all just a part of the process if you truly want to follow your passion. You can find Emmanuel at: www.inhalemore.com www.instagram.com/inhale_more You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.thestylingsource.com danalaymon@gmail.com

Today I interview Martha Sanabanda from Martha My Dear Rentals. While planning their own wedding in 2013, they discovered they didn't have many options for specialty rentals in Wilmington, NC. Regularly on the hunt for treasures, they were able to compile an impressive collection of items. After marrying in downtown Wilmington and honeymooning in Europe, they didn't want the fun to stop and decided to create this specialty rental business to share their vision with others. When they aren't busy with all things furniture, they spend time together cooking, traveling, and loving on their baby girl, Sadie, baby boy, Zac and fur baby, Stewart. You can find Martha at: www.MarthaMyDearRentals.com www.instagram.com/marthamydearrentals www.facebook.com/MarthaMyDearRentals You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.thestylingsource.com danalaymon@gmail.com

What is e-commerce exactly? What should I sell online? Where should I sell it? I talk to you today about my journey with selling online and how you can do it too! You can sell just about anything on Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, eBay, Shopify and more! The trick is to test, test, test and collect as much feedback as you can. I'd love to know what it is you're thinking about selling online and feel free to let me know if you need any help! You can find me at: www.thestylingsource.com www.etsy.com/shop/thestylingsource www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon danalaymon@gmail.com

I had the pleasure of talking with Ali Nyquist of Amplifly Cycle Studio based in Wilmington, NC. The warm and welcoming fitness studio loves helping people in any phase of their fitness journey. Ali always had a passion for fitness and while life tried to deter her from following her dreams, her dreams found her anyways. She opened Amplifly in 2018 and they offer cycle, yoga, pilates, personal training, barre, strength classes and so much more. She is married to her husband, Ryan Nyquist, and they have three amazing boys. Together they are doing incredible things for the Wilmington community and I couldn't have loved my conversation with her more. I hope you were inspired as much as I was! You can find Ali at: https://www.ampliflycycle.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ampliflycycle https://www.instagram.com/amplifly.ride.lift.flow/ If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and we'd love it if you left a review on iTunes. Word of mouth is the biggest compliment you can give us! You can find Dana at: www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon danalaymon@gmail.com

Alyssa's journey in the flower world began back in 2004 when she discovered a flower shop named Alyssa's Flowers where she grew up in San Clemente, CA, and she begged the owner if she could work there, at just 16 years of age. But Shortly after she started at the shop, the owner decided to close the doors and focus on her family. Alyssa ended up falling in love with flowers and started on her hunt for another floral job. She landed a position at a high end floral shop and learned a tremendous amount from working there. But when the shop fell under new ownership she decided to move on. Fast forward a few years later, Alyssa met her now husband, Jordan, had a beautiful baby girl AND moved across the country to be with family… all at the same time. But flowers were still calling Alyssa's name and her and Jordan decided to open MOTHER OF WILD Flower House in North Carolina. They've put 100% into their little shop and cute mobile flower truck, creating flowers for weddings, holding floral workshops and providing smiles with their daily flower deliveries. You can find Mother of Wild at: www.motherofwildflowerhouse.com www.instagram.com/motherofwildnc/ You can follow Dana at:  www.danalaymon.com www.instagram.com/danalaymon danalaymon@gmail.com

Kara Reddel is the founding designer of the NC based jewelry line Raven & Riley. Each piece is crafted by hand using hand cut, Colorado sourced leather and she just recently launched her Italian leather line as well. Her line has been carried in retailers such as Free People and is available online and in select boutiques. I talk to Kara about how she was able to transition from her corporate job into a running her own full-time business.  

Lauren is a full-time goldsmith and founder of the jewelry company Palm Sunday. She specializes in crafting rings with intention, sourcing ethically mined and faceted fine gemstones and Fairmined and recycled gold. She is a graduate of Parsons School of Design, holding a BFA in fashion design, but left the fashion industry after almost a decade in search of a more sustainable career both emotionally and ecologically. She currently resides in sunny Saint Petersburg, Florida with her partner David and enjoys thrifting treasures, photography, and floating in the warm waters of the gulf. In this episode, we talk about everything from pivoting in your business to doing what's right for your industry, even though it's not always easy, and how important having a mentor is. You can find Lauren at: www.palm-sunday.com Instagram: @Palm__Sunday hello@palm-sunday.com You can follow Dana at: www.danalaymon.com Instagram: @danalaymon danalaymon@gmail.com

Welcome to the Follow the Breadcrumbs podcast! My name is Dana Laymon and I'm a photographer and business coach based in North Carolina. I love helping people figure out what lights them up and make a living doing what they love. I've had multiple successful businesses and I know what it takes to make money doing something you love. It's possible! And if you don't think so, then I'm here to help! We'll be talking about business and the psychology behind what it takes to run a successful business. I'll also be interviewing amazing business owners who have created successful businesses so we can all start to realize that entrepreneurship has it's struggles but we're all in it together! I want to tackle some of the myths around starting your own business and help you see that having your own successfu business is more possible than you think!