Podcasts about pandemic pivot

SummaryIsco Spirits is not your typical distillery. Founded by Manya Rubenstein and located in an old steel mill in Providence, Rhode Island, Isco stands as the city's first distillery since Prohibition. With deep ties to the local artisan community and a commitment to sustainable practices, Isco produces a range of unique, handcrafted spirits. Their products, like Structural Vodka and Blue Velvet Bourbon, aren't just drinks—they're stories in a bottle. By incorporating elements of regenerative farming and coastal inspiration, Isco creates products that reflect the history and natural beauty of Rhode Island, blending creativity, craftsmanship, and eco-consciousness into every sip.Manya's entrepreneurial journey is a masterclass in adaptability. Opening the distillery in March 2020, right as the world was shutting down due to the pandemic, required bold pivots and quick thinking. Originally designed to welcome guests into a tasting room experience, Isco quickly shifted to making hand sanitizer and engaging with customers through direct sales. From that challenging beginning, Isco evolved into a brand known for its imaginative offerings like Ostrata, a vodka distilled with oysters, and Sea Flow gin, which incorporates seaweed as a key ingredient. These products are inspired by Rhode Island's coastal heritage and highlight Manya's goal of using spirits as a medium for storytelling.At the heart of Isco is a commitment to sustainability, innovation, and community. From supporting local farms and reusing spent grains to crafting spirits that honor the ocean, Isco's approach extends far beyond production. Their “Night of Cheer” holiday event showcases their passion for giving back, collecting donations for local causes while bringing people together for a festive experience. With plans for expanded distribution and new products on the horizon, Manya's vision remains clear: create exceptional, thoughtful spirits that spark connection, tell stories, and celebrate the place they call home. TakeawaysResilience Sparks Innovation: Isco's ability to pivot during the 2020 pandemic shows how entrepreneurs can turn adversity into opportunity, finding creative ways to stay relevant and connected with their audience.Sustainability Creates a Competitive Edge: By focusing on regenerative farming, eco-friendly production, and coastal conservation, Isco isn't just making spirits—they're building a movement. Their use of oysters, seaweed, and farm-grown grains differentiates them in the competitive distilling industry.Storytelling as a Brand Strategy: Isco Spirits tells a larger story through its products, branding, and community events like "Night of Cheer." By weaving local history, environmental awareness, and artistry into each spirit, Isco builds a deeper emotional connection with consumers.

This week on the show we welcome Adam McChesney, a St. Louis-based entrepreneur, who transitioned from medical sales to entrepreneurship in July 2020. He founded Builders of Authority and co-owns Auto Glass Repair of STL. Formerly VP of Growth at Hite Digital, Adam now offers personal branding coaching and hosts the Builders of Authority Podcast. He lives with his wife Delaney, their son Murphy, and their dog Georgie.

The path to entrepreneurial success is winding, steep and treacherous – just ask anyone who's started a business. As with so many founders, Robert Kirstiuk had to make a ‘pandemic pivot', and the result was Freshline. Robert's story is one of starting local, with what you know, scaling up, scaling down and then rebuilding something new from the pieces. It's a story about staying committed and being resilient, and one that we think you'll really enjoy.

https://blog.thesaleswhisperer.com/p/adam-pisk Market like you mean it. Now go sell something.   SUBSCRIBE to sell more, faster, at higher margins, with less stress, and more fun! https://www.youtube.com/@TheSalesWhispererWes   Takeaways Pivoting during a crisis can lead to unexpected opportunities and growth. Outsourcing and global employment can be effective solutions for businesses looking to scale and save costs. Maintaining authenticity and human connection is crucial in a world increasingly driven by AI and automation. Hiring globally can provide access to a talented workforce at a more affordable rate. Bruntwork.co supports over 1,500 companies globally in various industries and offers a wide range of roles. Clear communication and understanding the business are crucial when hiring outsourced sales agents. Personalized training and avoiding the use of auto-dialers can ensure authenticity and effectiveness in sales calls. Treating outsourced workers as part of the team and providing a good work-life balance is important for success.   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:04 The Pivot to Outsourcing and Global Employment 07:09 Navigating the Challenges of AI and Automation 13:05 The Importance of Authenticity and Human Connection 27:51 Affordability of Outsourcing 29:27 Language and Education Requirements 30:44 Different Types of Sales Roles 33:28 Outsourcing with Existing Processes 35:56 The Importance of Authenticity in Sales 37:52 Avoiding Call Center Stereotypes 39:34 Accents and Communication 41:45 Outsourcing to a Distributed Workforce 44:31 Demand for Global Work 48:21 Treating Outsourced Workers as Part of the Team ----- Connect with me: Twitter -- https://twitter.com/saleswhisperer TikTok -- https://www.tiktok.com/@thesaleswhisperer Instagram -- http://instagram.com/saleswhisperer LinkedIn -- http://www.linkedin.com/in/thesaleswhisperer/ Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/wes.sandiegocrm Facebook Page -- https://www.facebook.com/thesaleswhisperer Vimeo -- https://vimeo.com/thesaleswhisperer Podcast -- https://feeds.libsyn.com/44487/rss Sales Book -- https://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/c/way-book   BUSINESS GROWTH TOOLS https://12WeeksToPeak.com https://CopyByWes.com https://CRMQuiz.com https://TheBestSalesSecrets.com https://MakeEverySale.com https://www.TheSalesWhisperer.com/

Amidst Covid lockdown disruptions, Adam Pisk navigated the challenge of keeping his Manila-based business running. Recognizing opportunities, he swiftly spearheaded the development of an online store for a major Supermarket, followed by a similar success with one of Australia's leading fashion retailers. With years of Global Sales experience at other companies, Adam co-founded Bruntwork, propelling it into a $5 million MRR business within just three years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week in the guest chair we have DeNeitra Burnett, the Founder and CEO of Savvy Events, a Los-Angeles based event production and creative agency. DeNeitra has used her creativity and grit to climb to the top of the events industry, working closely with entertainment titans and Fortune 500 companies like HBO, Netflix, and Hulu, among others.DeNeitra shares how when the events business was shut down during the Pandemic, she pivoted her business to custom mailers, leading to her scaling Savvy Events to a 7-Figure Business.In this episode DeNeitra shares:How she made her first custom mailer during the pandemic and created a whole new division in her businessHow she structures her pricing to make sure she is fairly compensatedHow she's expanding her business and team to incorporate both event production and creative mailer productionHighlights Include:00:00 Intro04:16 Event planning09:22 Work-life balance18:10 Percentage-based pricing23:57 Pivoting to mailers31:13 Adapting staffing structure34:50 Tips for entrepreneursCheck out episode 397 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeThis episode is brought to you by: Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country. Sign up and give it a try at https://gusto.com/shp.Links mentioned in this episodeWebsite: https://savvycreativeagency.com/ Savvy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savvycreativeagency_/ Savvy's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SavvyCreativeAgency Savvy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/savvycreativeagency/about/ Dubsado: https://www.dubsado.com/ Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rssAnnouncementsJoin our Facebook CommunityIf you're looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week my guest is chef Christine Van Bloem. For 15 years Christine ran the successful Kitchen Studio Cooking School in Frederick, Maryland, a recreational cooking school. When the Covid pandemic hit, she had to stop doing in-person cooking classes. She pivoted to online cooking classes, hoping to go back to in-person. Then, her husband had a stroke, she had a heart attack, and the landlord of her business evicted her.That's enough for most people to throw in the towel. Christine took some time away from the kitchen, but now she's back. On the show, we discuss her new venture The Empty Nest Kitchen. She'll talk about what her cooking class model looks like today. CHRISTINE VAN BLOEMThe Empty Nest Kitchen on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTokThe Empty Nest Kitchen websiteCHEFS WITHOUT RESTAURANTSIf you enjoy the show and would like to support it financially, please check out our Sponsorship page (we get a commission when you use our links).  Get the Chefs Without Restaurants NewsletterChefs Without Restaurants Instagram and ThreadsChefs Without Restaurants on TikTokChefs Without Restaurants on YouTubeThe Chefs Without Restaurants Private Facebook GroupChris Spear's personal chef business Perfect Little Bites  SPONSOR INFO  United States Personal Chef AssociationTo learn more about membership, advertising, or partnership opportunities, call Angela at 800-995-2138 ext. 705 or email aprather@uspca.com.Support the showSupport the show

When the world came to a standstill, Leslie Danford saw an opportunity to nourish change. Her pivot from hospitality to health gave birth to Vitaminis, reshaping how we think about nutrition in our daily lives. Our latest conversation dives into Leslie's entrepreneurial journey, marked by her transition during the pandemic from a career in hospitality to founding a whole food-based supplement company. We explore the significance of nutrition and how the collective reevaluation of our careers leads to taking command of our professional paths.Juggling the roles of a new mom and a budding entrepreneur, Leslie's story resonates with the struggle for balance that many face. We share candid reflections on the challenges of working from home, managing a household, and the ever-present tug-of-war between business dreams and family needs. Listeners will find solace and inspiration in Leslie's strategies for carving out dedicated work time, as well as the wisdom she imparts on nurturing both a growing family and a fledgling business. As we wrap up, Leslie provides invaluable insights into the competitive functional beverage industry and the crucial role of FDA guidelines in establishing consumer trust. Additionally, the conversation turns to the art of branding and packaging, essential for capturing customers' attention in a saturated market. The episode culminates with Leslie's reflections on the power of resilience and optimism, offering encouragement to entrepreneurs who are navigating their paths amidst life's unpredictable ebbs and flows. Join us to hear how Leslie's tenacity and innovation have paved the way for success in the realm of wellness and entrepreneurship.Links mentioned in today's episode:VitaminisJoin The Branding Business School WaitlistSave 50% off your first year of Honeybook using this link!For show notes, head to www.thebrandingbusinessschool.com/thepodcast/ Show notes for episodes 1-91 can be found at www.brandwelldesigns.com/thepodcast/ Follow BrandWell on Instagram. Follow The Branding Business School on Instagram. Save 50% off your first year of Honeybook using this link! Save 50% off your first year of Flodesk using this link!

Today I sat down with Leslie Danford, Founder and CEO of Vitaminis a brand all about bringing functional food and beverages to families in a tasty and accessible way. Leslie got her BA from the University of Chicago and her MBA at Harvard, worked in big food and beverage and was passionate about nutrition her whole life but she makes it clear she's not a foodie. So when the pandemic struck and she was at a crossroads plus being 8 months pregnant with baby number 4, she knew it was time to take a leap on a whitespace she saw in the market and with lots of research she'd stockpiled, a new way to take your vitamins was born! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review, screenshot and share on stories as you're listening and tag us so we can repost! Let's Connect! Shop Vitaminis on Amazon - My fave is the Immunity Shots ⁠Simple Abundance My Journal Prompts Clara from Curtsy on Let's Get Candid ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Let's Get Candid Podcast Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kayla Moran Law⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Geneva⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kayla Morán Blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pinterest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kaylaaamorann/support

This week we're featuring stories from our ongoing series Flavor Profile, featuring folks who started successful food businesses during the pandemic. Gas Station Filipino Dessert Shop Is Among NorCal's Most Delicious Secrets Inside a nondescript National gas station off the 205 in Tracy, is Ellis Creamery. Marie Rabut and her husband Khristian got the idea to open the shop in 2020 as a way to supplement their income after Khristian lost his tech job in San Jose. Tired of long commutes for work, they wanted to stay local and saw the shop as an opportunity to bring Filipino flavors to their community. KQED's Katrina Schwartz went to find out how they're adding their own unique spin to traditional Filipino desserts.  How SF's Rize Up Sourdough Puts Black Bakers on the Map Like many others, San Francisco's Azikiwee Anderson took up making sourdough during the pandemic. Once he mastered the basics, he started experimenting with ingredients no one had ever put into sourdough: gojuchang, paella and ube. Those flavors transformed his hobby into a successful business that wholesales to bakeries and restaurants across the Bay Area. All this success has made Azikiwee rethink how the food industry brings equity into the workplace, and how to elevate cultural appreciation, not appropriation, through ingredients. KQED's Adhiti Bandlamudi tells us how Anderson wants to give a chance to more Black and Brown bakers, because of his own experience feeling like an outsider as a Black man interested in commercial baking. This Spicy, Crunchy Chili Topping Is the Essence of Balinese Flavors  Celene and Tara Cerrara had successful careers, one a doula and the other a make-up artist, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Then, they both lost their jobs and moved home where they rediscovered a passion for cooking their native Balinese food. They started a successful pop up, Bungkus Bagus, and are now transitioning towards packaged products. Clare Wiley brings us their story from Glendale.

In this week's episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Deidra Viney, the proud owner, and franchisee of Express Employment Professionals in Jersey City and Edison, New Jersey. This was a follow-up episode to our previous conversation in episode number 31, where we delved into her story. In this episode, we discussed what Deirdre has been up to, how she was able to expand her business after the pandemic, and how she navigated her business through the pandemic. We also talked about her experience as a mother and entrepreneur. Additionally, we discussed a few books that we found helpful, such as Atomic Habits by James Clear, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork by John C. Maxwell, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, and Tribal Leadership by David Logan. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hforhustle/support

In this episode, I had the chance to sit down with Ellen Velez and Sarah Filipovitz from Flipfort in our FIRST in-studio interview- kicking off our Cleveland Mompreneurs Season. These amazing ladies are not only Cleveland moms but also insanely creative entrepreneurs. I loved chatting about: the wild ride of launching a business during a pandemic what it's like finding the right business partner and, of course, the struggles of finding that "perfect" balance between motherhood and entrepreneurship My favorite thing about Ellen and Sarah is: how they leverage the power of support and community to grow their business in such unique ways. From reaching out to others for guidance to cultivating their own tribe through relationship building to leaning on local Cleveland Business Incubators like MAGNET- they shared that: "It's all about having that network of people who have your back and can cheer you on through the ups and downs." If you're a mompreneur who's looking to connect with women who just GET you and what you're going through- then this chat we had is for YOU! TIMESTAMPS Introductions and Backgrounds [00:02:01] Introduction of Ellen Velez and Sarah Filipovitz, their roles as moms and entrepreneurs, and their experiences with launching businesses during the pandemic. The journey of becoming partners [00:08:54] Sarah + Ellen discuss how they became partners, their journey so far, and the importance of seeking advice from others. The importance of finding support [00:10:10] Sarah, Ellen and Megan talk about the need for support in both mom life and entrepreneur life, and the challenge of finding a supportive community. Starting a business during a pandemic [00:13:48] Sarah + Ellen share their decision to start a business together, the challenges they faced during the pandemic, and their desire to make a positive impact in their community. The idea and conviction [00:17:55] Megan discusses the importance of having conviction and vision in your business and how it drives you forward. Trusting your gut and adapting [00:21:44] Collectively, Megan, Sarah + Ellen talk about the importance of trusting your instincts, being open to change, and not letting ego get in the way of making necessary adjustments. Challenges and timeline [00:23:26] Sarah + Ellen dive into the timeline of their business idea, the challenges of surviving and managing their businesses and personal lives during the pandemic and the impact the pandemic had on their manufacturing. Working with Magnet [00:29:07] Sarah + Ellen talk about their collaboration with Magnet, a nonprofit organization that provides support and resources to encourage more manufacturing startups and entrepreneurs here in Cleveland. The next steps for FlipFort [00:31:50] Sarah + Ellen discuss their plans to expand their business, including social media marketing, approaching shops for wholesale, and getting their products on Amazon. SHOW NOTES Learn more about FlipFort: FlipFort Website Use Code: mompreneurco15 for 15% off Follow them on IG: @theflipfort SUBSCRIBE + REVIEW SO YOU DON'T MISS A THING Apple Spotify Follow us on Instagram: @mompreneur_co Check out our Podcast Studio for Mompreneurs Learn about our Mom Podcasting Retreats Join the Mompreneur Directory

In this captivating episode, we delve into the inspiring journey of a Cameroonian-born stylist, Arthur Claude Ndoumbe, as he shares his path to the fashion industry. Join us as we interview this remarkable individual, whose love for fashion was ignited by his father's attention to detail as he watched him curate fits. Despite becoming a teacher, the pandemic prompted him to make a bold pivot toward his passion. We explore his pursuit of the fashion industry, applying to fashion school, and more. Currently, he showcases his talents as a stylist at Nordstrom, while also delving into creative production for photoshoots. Don't miss this engaging conversation, where we uncover his remarkable story and his involvement in the iconic Meagan Good Essence cover shoot. Get ready to be inspired and motivated by his perseverance and determination to break into the fashion world.Black brands worn on this episode of Got This in Black?@dailypaper @preyfour @aostudio21 @fearofgodSeason 2 Episode 17 of the Got This in Black? ShowFollow us: @GotThisInBlack on Instagram and Tiktok Email us: gothisinblack@gmail.com

Sheila Brown, a two-time 7-figure business owner, walks us through having to build a business from scratch twice. March 2020, Sheila was forced to shut down, and instead of waiting around, she built a new business online where she now makes close to 400k a month. In this episode, Sheila gives a rundown on how she made it happen.  At 28 years old, Sheila found herself in the worst position she could imagine; broke, jobless, and divorced. Being sick and tired of living this life, Sheila found a permanent makeup and training course that was only 5-days long and from there, her brick-and-mortar business emerged. A decade later, Sheila would have to go through the whole process again only this, through online platforms only.  Tune in to hear Sheila's story…  [01:08] Intro to Sheila Bella  [02:16] Backstory on Sheila   [06:10] Brick and mortar business  [08:51] Investing in business coaching and mentorship and masterminds  [10:24] Roadmap for launching new online business  [13:28] Transferring skillsets from real life to online   [15:22] The primary growth engine process   [17:30] Tactical weekly rundown  [20:11] Pivoting engagement into a business conversation  [24:18] The organic process   [25:32] If you can't beat fear, so do it scared  [26:31] Favorite growth tool  [26:50] Favorite Book  [27:07] Connect with Sheila  Connect with Sheila:   Instagram  Website Podcast: Pretty Rich Podcast   Give her a call: 310-388-4588  Sheila's Favorite Business Tool:    Kajabi Sheila's Favorite Book:  Mindset by Carol West ————————- If you enjoyed this episode, please RATE / REVIEW and SUBSCRIBE to ensure you never miss an episode. Connect with Dennis Brown  AskDennisBrown.com LinkedIn Twitter Instagram [Free Giveaways]

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, Founder of Rubber Cheese.Download the Rubber Cheese 2022 Visitor Attraction Website Report - the first digital benchmark statistics for the attractions sector.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends July 31st 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: www.matthewhenderson.netCreative Ideas and Solutions. Innovative consultancy and support for visitor attractions, specialising in commercial and  product development. https://www.beamish.org.uk/https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendersonmatthew94/ Matthew Henderson is well known across the sector, having won many awards for his creative approach to retail and product development, and is a Trustee of the Association for Cultural Enterprises.Having increased sales and developed commercial activity as Head of Commercial Operations and Development at Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, Matthew has been inspired to launch Creative Ideas and Solutions. The aim of which is to support other organisations in enhancing their visitor engagement, commercial strategy and product development. Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. In today's episode, I speak with Matthew Henderson, founder of Matthew Henderson Creative Ideas and Solutions. Matt was previously Head of Commercial Operations and Development at Beamish Living Museum, where an abundance of innovative ideas drove their commercial income. We talk a lot about product development and how to develop commercial products and experiences that truly reflect your organisation. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on itunes, Spotify and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue. Kelly Molson: Matthew, it is absolutely brilliant to have you on the podcast today. I'm just going to tell you, you have been, like, one of the most recommended people to me ever to come on.Matthew Henderson: Really? Kelly Molson: There are so many people, “You've got to get Matthew on. You need to get Matthew on to chat to” and finally, we are here. Matthew Henderson: Well, thank you so much. That's an amazing thing to hear, but, yeah, thank you for inviting me on. It's a real honour to be on it. Kelly Molson: Well, shuffed. It's going to be good. Okay. Right, I've got some ice breakers for you. I want to know what is your favourite crisp flavour?Matthew Henderson: Favourite crisp changes rigged, but at the moment it's probably squares just for how vinegary they are. Kelly Molson: Oh, the sort of vinegar ones? Yeah. Matthew Henderson: I would go with them, but occasionally a knickknack I would go for as well, which is quite a controversial opinion. Kelly Molson: Spicy knickknack. Did they used to do like a hang on, they did like a fishy one, didn't they? Matthew Henderson: Yeah, I wouldn't go near that, but, yeah, the spicy one, yeah. Normally I'm a chicken corner kind of guy, but I can handle a knickknack spice.Kelly Molson:  Spicy knickknacks. I'm with you on that one. That is a good solid, crisp flavour. Right, good. Okay, if you had your human body but the head of animal, what animal would you choose? Matthew Henderson: Strangely, I actually do have a pet owl, so I feel like just to keep on theme yeah, probably an owl. I think their school is taken up by three quarters. Their school is hitting up by their eyes. Their brain is very small, so maybe I'll retract that. But wise old owl is quite a myth. But they are sort of very attractive, aren't they? Kelly Molson: They are. Wow. Oh, God. So many questions. You've got a pet owl, you're like Harry Potter. This is incredible. How have you got a pet owl? Matthew Henderson: Well, yeah, it's sort of a bit more run Weasy than Harry Potter would say. Growing up, I used to help my grandma nature reserve and every weekend she used to take me to there on the Saturday and then the Budapest Centre on the Sunday. It was just the sort of thing that we always did and I ended up volunteering there and fell in love with it. And then I had this little owl, who, when he came in, was written off that he would die overnight. It was so unwell. And I think a cat tried to eat him. All this sort of tragic story. And then every day he got a bit stronger, to the point where he used to come home with me every night. We've got a tesco together because you couldn't leave. It was kind of in my hoodie pocket. Matthew Henderson: And then when I sort of stopped volunteering there and got a job, he would have died of heartbreak, really. And I think so died by that point. So 14 years on, he still lives with me. Probably the funniest thing that's ever happened with Bug is when everyone did Zoom quizzes during lockdown. Kelly Molson: Yeah. Matthew Henderson: And my friend works for Capital FM and Bug the Owl just happened to be in the background while were playing this quiz. And my friend from there was on, to which he told Roman Kemp the next day about Bug the Owl at work, to which Roman Kemp and FaceTimed me the next day to see Bug the owl. And then me and Bug coal hosted capitol breakfast for 20 minutes one morning, you think lockdown life couldn't get any stranger. And then you describe what an owl looks like on Capital FM. Kelly Molson: This question has gone to a place that I would never expect him to go to. Oh, my God. Matthew Henderson: We could get him at the end. Kelly Molson: Oh, my God. Please, I would love to meet Bug. And also, my heart has just melted massively from that story. Matthew Henderson: Yeah. I love him.Kelly Molson: Absolutely incredible. Matthew Henderson: My friends always say that I should do TikToks with them because I have a dog as well, and the owl will sit on the dog's head and groom and they'll play together. And I think if I had more time, they'd probably be a TikTok account for them. Kelly Molson: You have to make that. I would download TikTok just for that. Just for you, and Bug and your dog. Oh, my God. Honestly, Matt wasn't expecting that response. That's got me all the feels. Matthew Henderson: On the random way, I think I would have an owl's head as a head and a human body. Kelly Molson: An excellent reason why. Well, this is random. My next question was, have you ever met a famous person and lost a tiny mind a little bit, but I don't know if Roman Kemp is enough to make you lose your mind. Matthew Henderson:  Yeah, I think I actually met Russell Brand. This is another sort of bizarre lockdown story, just as it happens, but I went to his gig, he did an outdoor, socially distanced gig and then at the end he walked past and I got a selfie with him, to which I just put it on Instagram. We haven't broken any rules. It was all fine. And the Daily Mail lifted that photograph and ran it on the front page of their website with a story around Russell Brand refusing to social distance, which wasn't true. But, yeah, he ended up on Hollywood Reports and all sorts of zoom called with him afterwards to talk about it, and he absolutely loved it. But, yeah, meeting him was amazing. And then my ultimate hero is Mike Skinner from the Streets. Matthew Henderson: I have his lyrics tattooed, and that probably the only time in life I've been absolutely speechless. I just could not say a word when I met him. And he was very nice and very polite. But, yeah, meeting him was pretty amazing. Kelly Molson: Oh, my God, Matt, I want your life. Matthew Henderson: We might go downhill from there. I think they're only sort of two impressive odd stories. Kelly Molson: They're probably the best answers to any icebreaker questions I've ever asked. Matthew Henderson: It's quite nice because they don't naturally come up in conversation, either of those points. But maybe that's the art of icebreaking. Kelly Molson: Absolutely. Totally fascinating. Right, well, I don't know where this is going to go, but what's your unpopular opinion?Matthew Henderson: My unpopular opinion is that I've never had tea or coffee and I have no desire to. Kelly Molson: You've never had a brew? You've never had a cup of tea? Matthew Henderson: Never had one. Yeah. Shocking. And I actually went on a half day course about coffee once I've smelled this and learned all about it, but it's not for me. Kelly Molson: I think the coffee one I can get. I think that there's probably quite a few people that because tea and coffee are very different and I can understand that. But to never even have tried a little sip of tea?Matthew Henderson: Yeah, nobody's ever really that impressed with it. Yeah, maybe it's TikTok and tea this year, maybe that's the aim.Kelly Molson: 2023, we're coming at you. Matthew Henderson: About two or three years ago, I tried to grip for the first time, much to all my friends amusement. And I remember afterwards my friend Ben, who's a very loud lad, and he took me one side and said, “I'm so proud of you for trying that, man”. So I just loved, like, how genuine he was. Kelly Molson: Matt, it's already my favourite podcast. Sorry, everyone, Matt's got me in tears here. All right. Okay, let's start where it all began, shall we? Let's talk about Beamish. So you were there for ten years and you started out as a costume demonstrator? Matthew Henderson: Yeah, that's right. Kelly Molson: And then your path went further and further and further in. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, it was the best thing ever did. So, like I sort of mentioned, my grandma used to run a nature reserve, a little small cafe and gift shop, and she would let me organise the Christmas tree fairs when I was little. And sometimes I do little markets and fundraisers and stuff. So I think, looking back, I was always sort of destined for a career in tourism from that, because my mom always laughed that I was more excited about seeing the gift shop than I was the attraction a lot of time. When you look back, it's so obvious, really, but from there I started volunteering at the Falconry Centre, which is obviously where Bug the Owl came from, and got really interested in the sort of business side of it and the customer service side.  Matthew Henderson: And I was studying business at college, a six month college, and they said to me, "why didn't you go and try somewhere else on work experience?" And I was like, "no, I'm going to work at the Falconry Centre. That's my sort of thing I'm going to do". And they were like, "Why didn't you just go for four half days, like four afternoons to Beamish, which was about 20 minutes up the road, and just see what it's like?" And instantly, within about an hour of being there, I realised it was the people that I loved working with. And for all I loved the animal side, that it was that tourism, that business, that people and that culture that I loved. Matthew Henderson: And then, yeah, from there, I think it's sort of seven different jobs, but progressed from work experience to being a volunteer to then a costume demonstrator, and that's how it kind of started. Kelly Molson: Amazing. So many people start their career at one level in an attraction and just work and that's what happened, isn't it? So ultimately, you ended up as head of commercial operations. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, several different jobs, and was really fortunate with my time at Beamish that I did an apprenticeship, which I'm really sort of proud to have come from a non traditional route into the sector and then did an assistant role and an officer role and started did a maternity cover. And all these sort of real brilliant opportunities from Beamish led to that head of commercial role, which was final role at the museum. Kelly Molson: Yeah. So Beamish, to give context to people that haven't been to Beamish, and don't understand what it is. It's a living museum, isn't it? And you've kind of got like little mini attractions within this attraction itself. It's absolutely incredible. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, definitely. It's a living museum. It's around 400 acres in size and Beamish tells a story of everyday life in the Northeast in various different time periods. But the majority of the buildings have been moved brick by brick or stone by stone and recreated. So the buildings themselves are as much as part of the museum and the museum's collection as the object inside it. But they use everyday objects to tell the story of life in the Northeast. So rather than having it in a glass case and obviously there's a need to protect some object in the museum's collection and stores, sometimes it's replica. But the majority of real collections that have been really used, whether that's a teapot or a post tube or how can that history be brought to life? So, yeah, there's some amazing museum living museums around the world. Matthew Henderson: I think Beamish is one of the standouts, really.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I think the term immersive is being thrown around, like, a bit willy nilly at the moment. But for me, that is a really immersive museum experience, isn't it? Because when you go, people are in traditional costume and you can go and see things being made. Like, Matt very kindly people that are listening that won't be able to see this, but Matt very kindly sent me some sweets in the post from Beamish, which I'll just show on camera here. And the sweets get handmade in the shop and you can go and see that happening. And using all the traditional methods, So it is a fantastically kind of immersive museum experience that you can get involved in. So everything's going swim and knee and then all of a sudden there's a global pandemic. Life takes a bit of a turn, doesn't it?Matthew Henderson: Yeah, definitely. So I was working on product development at Beamish at the time, so we've been doing a lot of really exciting work about how could we use the museum's collections to create products that truly reflected that experience. And Beamish is a dream for that kind of thing, because, like you say, there's so many sort of hands on opportunities and there's so many stories to be told. And I think one of my favourite things about working in Beamish was that you have these pockets of specialism right around the museum. So you could go and have a conversation with the curator of transport and learn the intricacies of sort of steam and charms and buses and then try and come up with product from that. Or you could go and speak to the garden team or the horse team. Matthew Henderson: So were making all this sort of exciting product and then, yeah, the museum was on the rise. Visitor numbers have been going up, income had been going up, and then, yeah, the gates were shut and 95% of the income comes from visitors. And suddenly there was a need to try and diversify and to engage that audience, which is where some of the sort of work that we did during lockdown came from. Kelly Molson: And some of the things that you did are absolutely brilliant. So I saw you speak at the Museum and Heritage Awards last year and you shared some of the things that you did during lockdown that helped to drive revenue and they're so good. Some of the examples that you shared are just so creative and so genius. Can you tell us a little bit about some of them? Matthew Henderson: Yeah, so the first thing we did was set up an online shop. So the idea being that we didn't want it to feel like a traditional online shop, we wanted it to reflect the museum experience, where you can go into the sweet shop and buy sweets, you can go into the cooperative store and buy biscuits, you can go into the various different sort of exhibits and participate. Like the chemist, for instance, has a cold cream that's a recipe from 100 years ago. So we set up that online shop and literally between a very small team of used our existing ticketing platform. And it was a little bit like an episode of The Apprentice, really. There was like no budget, there's a half a platform there for us to use and how could you turn this around? Matthew Henderson: And I think because everyone at Beamish had such passion for it. It was a very concerning time, but also a very exciting time, thinking that we could try and drive some income. And we started seeing support from around the world. People were ordering these sort of tins of sweets and all this sort of product development work that we'd been doing. It was actually perfectly aligned that we had these unique products that could be sold. And then we started to think, well, how else could we use online? So the Head of Learning, Simon Woolley, who's a brilliant person, he started doing school lessons. So he would do murder mysteries online and Victorian school lessons for schools around the world. Me and him said, “there surely must be an opportunity for home schoolers here”. Matthew Henderson: So we started putting Victorian lessons on for home schoolers where they could order a slate and pencil in the post from the online shop and then Simon would essentially sort of scare them for an hour at the Victorian Headmaster. And the day was basically with the parents that we look after your kids for an hour, you have an hour off and they can participate in this living museum. Then we did things like afternoon tea deliveries. So we have famous of amazing bakers. They came to the museum and created these unbelievable afternoon teas along with tea and coffee that were sourced from local supplies and branded as Beamish specific blends for them. And we sent out costume staff to deliver them. Matthew Henderson: So you could only order them, you could order them from around the world, but they would only be delivered in the Northeast because we wanted to deliver them by hand, safely, but in full costume. And I remember a quote that came from Jeff, who was one of the costume team that was delivering them and he said, "people ordered them from as far and wide to the nearest and dearest, the United States, Australia and Europe. And occasionally there were real tears of gratitude from the receiver where it felt a privilege to be bringing a ray of happiness to someone." And that sums it up for me, really. Kelly Molson: That is incredible, isn't it? Matthew Henderson: Because it wasn't only about generating income, it was about keeping connected with that community. And 50% of Beamish's audience is local, so being able to sort of literally go to the doorstep of 1200 people, which is like the equivalent of visiting every family that came on a bank holiday. If you think in terms of scale of two or three drivers out there for a few weeks delivering them and that was a really special thing. And then I think probably we still we started wholesale ventures, we started selling to the likes of Fenix and farm shops when retail shops could be opened. But museums and visit attractions weren't just a diversified income and that was like, again, about generating income, but also that connection with people. Matthew Henderson: And it was really exciting for those shops when Beamish returned up in full costumes with these handmade sweets and keeping that name out there, that sort of museum alive. But I think for me the most special thing was were faced with the prospect that maybe Father Christmas has grown, wouldn't go ahead and how could we do an online offer of that was the challenge put forward. So we did for 13 hours a day, we did zoom calls with Father Christmas around sort of well over 1000 children took part in that.  And every ten minutes, Father Christmas would call a different family and would have these absolutely amazing moments where grandparents would join in the call and seeing their children engage, their grandchildren engage with Father Christmas. Matthew Henderson: And you would see parents, grandparents just in floods of tears saying these really special moments because we could collect information in advance that Father Christmas could use to make it even more special. And really did sort of bring the magic. So that was me and Father Christmas and a small team for sort of hours a day and it was just a really special way of connecting with our audience. Kelly Molson: There's so many different ideas there as well, Matthew. I mean, obviously you've got your team around you as well. How did you go about working out what you were going to do? Because I can imagine that there were more ideas that actually didn't happen as well. Right, so how did you work out that process of going, yeah, that's the one, we can run with that. No, these ones, they're just not going to work for us. Matthew Henderson: I think essentially there's a little bit of looking at the resource that was available and the sort of finances behind it. If it was a nice thing to do, was it at least going to sort of generate a small income and then what were the things that were going to really drive income from the museum? And Rhiannon Hiles is the CEO of Beamish, was incredibly supportive as she was sort of leading the museum and me and her would have these conversations where one of us would come up with an idea. And the Father Christmas thing actually started out it was going to be pre recorded videos and it was her that said, “no, this needs to feel exactly like the experience of the museum. We need to create that magic”. Matthew Henderson: So, yeah, just really great support from her, really great team that were willing to give everything a go and it was just a real chance to bring commercials to the front of everything the museum was doing. And I think from there we really did connect with that audience. I remember one of the Father Christmas calls, a parent had written that a child no longer believed in Father Christmas because the last time they saw him was in America, and he has an American accent. And our Father Christmas, luckily, could speak different languages. So straight away he said, "loving to meet you". If it was Bethany, he said, "Love it to meet you, Bethany. I saw you last time in Florida, didn't I?" And you could see a little bit of magic. Matthew Henderson: He said, “the thing is, wherever I go, I change my accent, I change the language, like when I go to France”. And then spoke in fluent French, and you could see this kind of like moment where the magic was just literally back in that house. It's like on a film where you sort of see the sort of stars coming back in and it's back to life, and you could see the joy in her parents face. And you think, if we hadn't been allowed to do those calls, what would that magic have been for her in these horrible circumstances? Equally, on the flip side, our Father Christmas only really knew French and English. Matthew Henderson: We were hoping there's not going to any last minute request as we kind of moved on the conversation. Kelly Molson: So you saw magic in one window and sweat in another window.Matthew Henderson: Behind the zoom screen. Yeah. Father Christmas sometimes had a little auto queue that I could give him prompts on, and we had a great time doing those things. Kelly Molson: It's incredible to go to that level of detail as well. To be able to put that magic back is absolutely phenomenal. What you mentioned, you said that everyone was willing to give it a go, and I think that's something that's really important to talk about because there was a level of like during the pandemic, well, let's just try it, right? What can we do? Can't do anything worse than actually is what's happening, right? So let's just give it a go. So people were quite brave in some of the things that they were doing. Do you think that's got lost a little bit now? Do you think people are a bit more cautious about what they're doing? Matthew Henderson: I think there's definitely a thing where the day to day takes over again, and I think there's a real opportunity to look at sort of strategy and given the opportunity for teams to come up with ideas, creative ideas, and then allowing them to happen, I think, with Beamish, I'm not certain we would have made an online shop within the last few years because you managing multiple different exhibits, outlets, operations, and it was never sort of creeping to the top of the priorities list.  So I think the pandemic offered an opportunity to really question what you were doing and like, I said, give things a go. And Beamish has certainly carried on that sort of innovation with Rhiannon Hiles, CEO, I'm sure that will continue.Matthew Henderson: But, yeah, I think there is perhaps a thing where the day to day takes over and I think it's maybe coming together through things like the podcast that you do and the work at  Association for Cultural Enterprise does and Museum and Heritage Show and hearing those inspirational stories. And I think we've all got those moments where you sit and hear somebody speak and then you just can't wait to get back to where you work to try and sort of pivot from that point, really. Kelly Molson: Yeah. It's the same with me, to be honest. I went on a new business and marketing workshop last week and came out of that completely and utterly inspired by the people that were delivering the course, by the people that were on the course with me as well. And now we're kind of back in the day to day doing. You have to really be careful to make sure that you carve out the time to do those things, don't you? You have to give time for innovation, you have to give time to be creative because you need the headspace to be able to actually do it, don't you?  Matthew Henderson: Definitely. And I think if you're working in a visit attraction, there's a lot to be said around the fact that it is a joy to work in these places, because the whole purpose of them is to bring joy to people. So for me, it's often about sort of standing and looking at the attraction, walking through it when it's busy, sort of hearing those conversations, working front of house. And then I always find that at the moment when you realise, for me, I started as a costume demonstrator and that was the thing that I loved. Every time you got the opportunity to work with the visitors, to work with those people, it reignited that passion of, this is why we're here. So for all in management, you might sort of step further away and you might be more in sort of meetings and the like. Matthew Henderson: I think it's about still being connected and realising why we're all in this industry. Kelly Molson: Yeah. Off podcast earlier, when Matthew and I were chatting, we actually had a conversation about how our earliest memories are from attractions, aren't they? They're from places that we've been to, so I can remember one of my earliest memories is feeding the ducks, a place called Forty Hall in Enfield. It's a lovely heritage home. It's got beautiful grounds. It was really close to where my nan and granddad lived, so we used to always visit my nan and grandad and then go there afterwards. And it's one of my earliest memories of really happy times. And it's a visitor attraction, so we have to remember the impact that we're having on people from a really young age. And that's a huge responsibility and also something wonderful to be part of. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, completely. I went to Sovereign Hill in Australia, which is a living museum, a few years ago, and one of their directors said to me, "it's an honour to bring joy to millions of people". And often you might see that joy firsthand, but then it's like you say, you would never really know the impact of that work. You would never know that people like you and me are talking about feeding the ducks all them years later. And I think it's every time you get an opportunity to create something or to work with someone, it's about making it the most special thing and that's how you get that legacy. Matthew Henderson: And I think for Beamish in particular, the people of the Northeast have a real love for it because everybody has a connection to it, whether they donate as an object, whether they know somebody that used to live in one of the houses before it was moved, whether they went there on a school trip. And I think it's about working with all those generations. And I love the idea that we might create retail products and you don't really know where in the world they end up or who's going to treasure them. And it's a real honour and I think you have to keep remembering that, especially when sort of day to day work maybe sort of takes over or feels a little heavy. Kelly Molson: Yeah. So you've moved on from Beamish now. Let's talk a little bit about some of the things you're doing. I'm a recent Trustee of the Museum of the Broads, which is quite a big responsibility, actually, and I'm really enjoying it, but it's all quite new for me. But you've been a trustee for quite a while, haven't you, for the Association for Cultural Enterprises? Matthew Henderson: Yeah. So off the back of the work that Beamish did during lockdown, I've got the opportunity to speak at the Cultural Enterprise Conference and then met some of the team there and had kept in touch with Jill, who's the brilliant CEO. And then yeah, the advert went out that they were looking for trustees and it was one of those things I spoke to Rhiannon at Beamish and sort of said, "do you think you would apply for this?" And she was saying, "Well, I think you should." And it said, "Why didn't you give this a go?" And I think that's what I was really asking was, "should I give this a go?" So I applied and interviewed and, yeah, it's been one of the best things ever done, connecting with the work of the association, but also the other board members. Matthew Henderson: So sitting on a board for me, like some of my sort of industry heroes, really, and getting to hear them speak. And sometimes I'll be in these board meetings and I'll realise I haven't spoken in a little while because you're so busy listening to them and you kind of forget that you're part of it, really.  So, yeah, they've been really welcoming to me and been a big part in the decision to give this new venture a go. Kelly Molson: Yeah. So this is exciting. So I am going to guess that everyone that you've been speaking to there has been really supportive of this. But you have jumped in with 2ft and you've set up a new consultancy. Tell us a little bit about it. Matthew Henderson: So where it came from was, through the work that I've been doing and the work for the Association for Cultural Enterprise, people had been very kind in the sort of words that they were saying about some of the work we've done. And then often I was visiting other attractions or meeting them and helping to come up with creative ideas. So the new sort of venture is allowing that to be a full time thing for me so that I can offer more support to these organisations, whether that's on product development, whether that's on community co production, creative strategy. So, yeah, it's a very new thing, but really exciting. And like we sort of said at the start, I think from that moment of helping my grandma at the nature reserve, you kind of look back and it was always meant to be that you would work in tourism and then this path has come quite naturally, really. Kelly Molson: It's really exciting. And congratulations on getting set up and taking the big leap into doing it for yourself. How do you start this process with an attraction? Because I guess just thinking about what you've been through at Beamish, I mean, it was perfectly set for all of the things that you did. You've got this amazing heritage there, you've got these artefacts that you can take design elements from for packaging and everything kind of came together so beautifully. How do you start to look at that, doing those things in a different organisation? Matthew Henderson: So I think if it's a product development, there's a lot to be said around, hopefully getting to know the team that are working in the shop. They'll know what sells well and what doesn't, and if they have any data to sort of back that up. But a lot of the time, those informal conversations of, "I wish we had a magnet wave exxon”, or speaking to the front of house teams of what are the things that the visitors find emotive, what do they laugh at? What do they cry at? What do they take a photograph of? And then, how can we draw inspiration from that to create product ranges? And that's a lovely challenge and it takes working with the team, I think, because it's a new venture. Matthew Henderson: One of the things I'm really keen on is that the support isn't a standard package, so depending on the attraction, I can sort of flex up, flex down and take different approaches, but very much about putting those people at the heart. It's not a consultant coming in to say this is how you should be doing it's more about allowing them to discover this is the different way you can do it. And we don't all have to have the same I keep using magnets, but magnets or food and what are the opportunities to support local, to create different things to be sustainable in terms of packaging and environmental impact? So, yeah, really exciting. But it's about putting those people at the heart of it all, I think.Kelly Molson: Because we talk quite a lot, don't we? About having things that are niche, like products and things on your shelves that you can only get at that attraction.  Not just the blanket. Everybody's got these things. It's just another thing with the logo on it. And I think there's also a big part about at the moment especially, where we still don't really know what's coming this year. Attractions, I guess, still pretty nervous. They've had a really rough time the last few years and this year might not be that much better, we don't know. But it's thinking about what more they can do with what they already have. So looking at the products they already have and actually can we improve those rather than something from scratch? What more can we do to make this better? Matthew Henderson: Yeah, definitely. And I think people understandably in the current climate are even more cautious with money. So it's about making sure that it's an experience, that the experience doesn't stop when you get to the gift shop door that carries on. So how can you create product that is reflective of that amazing day they've had that memory and that they can take a piece of it home? And I think that's the challenge and one that is really exciting to work with organisations and attractions to do and not always the most expensive thing to do. I think there's always ways to find smaller suppliers, local suppliers that can offer that bespoke and offering support both ways. Matthew Henderson: So if it's a small producer that works in a certain town, reassuring them that, "look, it is a risk for you, it is an investment for you to partner with an attraction and to do something bespoke but look at the benefits when this happens”. What can we put in place to work both sides? Do we make an agreement that we'll keep stocking it until you've run all those labels out? Because those labels might be a big investment for a small company or a small business. So, yeah, it's adaptable solutions, but making sure experience is key, I think.Kelly Molson: That's really nice as well, isn't it? Because it builds the partnership between local organisations and therefore you're kind of actively both promoting each other. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, completely. And I think especially now, I think there is so many from lockdown. A lot of people change their lives, didn't they? And a lot of people set up as local producers or suppliers. And if they were there before, I think they had a really rough time during that. And that was one of the things with the work at Beamish, was really support and local and it's such an exciting thing to find a coffee supplier or a tea supplier. Not that I'd be sampling either of them.Kelly Molson: Wasted on you. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, a fudge supplier, and bring them into the heart of the thing that often they pay to take their family to. And how can you find opportunities to involve them? So could they go to morning briefings and bring everyone a cup of tea to try it? How do you make sure that the person stands in behind the till has as much passion about that coffee as the person that makes it? And it's by showing them that connection that every time they get an order that there's sort of a celebration in that office. Really, that, "wow, look, we've had another order from this organisation". Our business is strengthening and it goes back to the point where the customer is buying something and you want that person selling it to have as much passion. Matthew Henderson: So a lot around staff ownership, I think, is quite key with it. Kelly Molson: Yeah. I love that idea of celebration, isn't it? That's really important, isn't it, to drive that kind of passion for what you're doing. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, completely. And I think in all of our own businesses, often that's a private thing, isn't it, to celebrate it and while we're chuffed, because you have to kind of look cool and as if you don't really need the work or don't. But actually, it's about sort of really celebrating those moments. And I think through the work that the Museum and Heritage Show do and the Association of Cultural Enterprise, I think it's about celebrating those moments and really enjoying it on a bigger scale. But for those local producers, I love the idea that someone might buy something local and have a feel good moment. Matthew Henderson: So, yeah, it's really nice to buy something that's a memory or a part of the attraction, but also that feel good of supporting the attraction, which is often a charity within the cultural heritage sector, but then also supporting local and UK businesses. So, yeah, there's a lot of lovely moments to be had, I thinkKelly Molson: Isn't there? I've got, like, a big grin on my face while we're chatting about now. It's lovely, Matt. And I think, actually, we can't talk about celebrating without discussing your recent award, because you won quite a fantastic award recently, didn't you? Let's talk about it. Let's celebrate it. Matthew Henderson: Thank you. Yeah, it was an amazing thing. So my great friend Matthew Hunt, who was formerly at the Science Museum, nominated me for Rising Star, the Cultural Enterprise Awards. And then I was sort of blown away that he would even consider that and then somehow won that. And literally this isn't something maybe I shouldn't be saying on the podcast, but I was literally talking to the person next to me and didn't hear because I didn't know that ever seen that I would win. So went up and was like, over the moon to win. And to be in that room full of those people years was I remember getting back to the hotel. I just couldn't sleep. Sort of reliving that. But then actually, there'd been a vote for the overall winner during the conference and amazingly won that as well. Matthew Henderson: So, yeah, it was certainly something that it was something that sent to my mom, really, a photograph of those two awards. And then the museum had great success as well, with Best Shop for the market stalls, a lot of market stalls that they did in the museum. And heritage awards and the Pandemic Pivot award. And best products for the cold cream and the chemist shop. So it was lovely as a team, really, at Beamish to celebrate those wins. And Allison, who's the stock manager at Beamish, we had a little shelf for those trophies and it was just in our little stock room. But it's a really special thing for a team that had sort of been brought to the front through lockdown because of the needs. Kelly Molson: I think that's wonderful and it's really good. Like you say, it's really important to celebrate all those little wins and they're big wins and they definitely need to be celebrated. It's been phenomenal talking to you today. Thank you so much for coming on. We always ask our podcast listeners to recommend a book that they love for us, something that might be something that they just enjoy reading to their children. It might be something that's helped shape their career in some way. What have you got for us today? Matthew Henderson: Thank you. So I'm actually, in between leaving Beamish and this new venture, I had four weeks off where I went to the movie theatre to volunteer. So my thing was that I was going to take loads of books and to sort of read. And actually being a walking by lines in the middle of the night and not being able to sleep was a need to do that. And I read a book called A Bit Of A Stretch by Chris Atkins, and it's not a book that would normally jump off the shelf to me, but it's a real story about his time that he spent in Wandsworth Prison after being involved in a tax avoidance scheme. And it's this day by day diary of his time in Wandsworth. And the reason that I picked that is previously, Johnson King hearing outreach, working in prisons.Matthew Henderson: And I think at the moment, everyone's looking at the things that we can see in terms of cuts and the things that need support, but actually, for prison and sort of rehabilitation, it's behind a wall. And we never sort of look at it or think about it because it's not in many of our day to day lives. But that book and that sort of time for the work that I did in there really brought those people and those people that work there to the front. So I would recommend that I feel like every person in the country should have a copy of that book and it's just the most emotive funny book that I've ever read. So, yeah, I would definitely recommend it. Matthew Henderson: You could keep out the lions roaring over the top of it, but certainly I would recommend to anybody to read that. Kelly Molson: Brilliant. That great recommendation. Never been recommended before either, so this is a new one for us. Well, listen, if you want to win a copy of that book, as ever, if you go over to our Twitter account and you retweet this episode announcement with the words, I want Matthew's book, then you'll be in with the chance of winning it. It's been brilliant to have you on, Matthew. I'm so glad that everybody recommended you to come on. I'm so glad that I took their advice. Your new venture is called Creative Ideas and Solutions. Your website address is your name, right? Matthew Henderson: It is, yes. It's MatthewHenderson.net. Kelly Molson: There we go. We're going to put all of that in the show notes, so if you do fancy a chat with Matt, you'll be able to find him there. Matt, keep being you, because, honestly, this has been such a delight to talk to you. I've loved every single minute of it. I hope Bug is well and continues to be your best bud. Matthew Henderson: Thanks so much for the invitation here. It's a real honour. So thank you for that. Kelly Molson: It's been great. And maybe you'll come on again. Maybe come on again next year and you can tell us how things have been going. Matthew Henderson: Yeah, that'd be amazing. Yeah, I'll bring Bug with me. Kelly Molson: That's what I was hoping for. Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

Co-Founder and CEO of Cantina Royal Hot Sauce, Diana Beshara, joins UMAI Social Circle podcast to chat about her biggest wins, challenges she overcame as an owner (including a major pandemic pivot from restauranteur to CPG brand owner), and how a pinch of luck landed her hot sauce on "Hot Ones", the #1 most popular YouTube show. You're going to love this SPICY episode, so let's get into it!

Michelle Ng brings people closer together by creating rewarding experiences through her two businesses – Vancouver Foodie Tours and Granville Island Gifting. Forbes has named Vancouver Foodie Tours one of the top 9 food tours in the world. They offer food walking tours, introducing guests to the culinary gems, vibrant cultures, and history that make Vancouver unique. Michelle's second business, Granville Island Delivery Co, was founded at the start of the pandemic as a way for the community to support local artisans and to send Granville Island gift boxes to friends and colleagues. Michelle has been recognized by The Entrepreneur magazine and Vancouver Sun for her contributions to uplifting the community during the pandemic. What excites Michelle the most? She loves to generate happiness and appreciation by creating rewarding experiences that uplift the community. Michelle's story is of resilience and optimism. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Michelle Ng about how she built her Foodie Tour business over 12 years and how her pandemic pivot led to the formation of a second company. She shares what she sees as a successful food tour in other destinations and why technology is core to both of her business's success. We also dive into a collaboration Michelle kickstarted involving other small tour operators and how that collaboration has subsequently resulted in an injection of funding. What You Will Learn in this Episode: Michelle's journey and how she got to where she is today with her two businesses How food has a magical power to bring people closer together and break down barriers What happened to Michelle's business when the COVID-19 pandemic hit North America How the Granville Island Delivery Co. came into being to serve the local community How Michelle evolved the design and marketing of her tours to better suit visitors who don't know anything about Vancouver Michelle gives an insight into her most popular tours and why visitors love them How technology has enabled Michelle to be able to run a successful business The part collaboration has played in spreading the word about Michelle's businesses and attracting visitors Michelle shares her advice for listeners hoping to grow and scale their business Refining Your Business Michelle Ng, founder of Vancouver Foodie Tours and Granville Island Gifting, shares why she is constantly in the process of tweaking and refining the experience she offers her customers. She describes why it is so important to her to be constantly listening to her customers, what they're asking for and what they're interested in. Pursuing excellence and creating rewarding experiences is very important to Michelle, and she highlights why it's at the core of what she does as a business owner. Creating a Network We discussed how Michelle got involved with her local destination marketing organization and details the two most effective steps she has taken to develop her business. She walks us through what she has learned from some of the world's most successful examples of food tours. Michelle also shares how the DMOs in Vancouver, in British Columbia, and in Canada have supported her work and provided access to the international markets by showing her how to pitch and win the business of tour operators worldwide. How Collaboration Led to Collective Success Both of Michelle's businesses are built on a foundation of collaboration, and she shares how that has contributed to her success. Michelle describes why she really believes in uplifting the community in everything she and her team do and why, whenever they are looking at partnerships or any other business decisions, they're striving to create win-win relationships. They view their foodie tour experiences through the lens of setting up an experience, interaction, or initiative in a way that serves everybody that's involved. Michelle also shares why she reached out to some of the small group tour companies in the city, who she felt were giving the highest quality experiences in the city, to suggest they form the Experience Vancouver Group so they could learn from each other and share their expertise. Resources: Website: https://foodietours.ca/our-story/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VancouverFoodieTours/ We value your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear from you. Leave us a review on your favorite streaming platform to let us know what you want to hear more of. Here is a quick tutorial on how to leave us a rating and review on iTunes!: https://breaktheicemedia.com/rating-review/

We often talk about speed when it comes to the supply chain, but what about cost? In today's day and age, lowering costs for your customers can sometimes feel impossible.  Our guest today understands what it takes to do just that while constantly improving the customer experience. Zach Kissel serves as the Vice President of Global E-Fulfillment at Intertape Polymer Group (IPG). On today's episode, Zach discusses anticipating customers' needs in times of uncertainty, how he bundles products to create cost savings, and why there should be more focus on regional manufacturing. —Guest Quote“The biggest measure of success for me is when a customer asks me to do something else for them. Because that means that we are not only talking the talk, but we're walking the walk.” - Zach Kissel—Time Stamps *(1:11) Meet Zach*(2:50) IPG's supply chain layout*(5:20) The Pandemic Pivot*(6:15) Zach's number 1 indicator of success*(10:00) Segment 2: Challenges*(12:23) Packaging 101*(15:03) Bundling products*(16:54) Segment 3: The Venting Couch*(20:26) Segment 4: Back to the Future*(25:42) Segment 5: Quick Hitters—Sponsor:Cloud Supply Chain combines the speed and flexibility of the cloud with the physical infrastructure required to compete. Want to learn more? Download our e-book Cloud Supply Chain for Dummies, I mean Savvy Brands, and find out for yourself. Go to Stord.link/dummies to get a copy. —Links Connect with Zach Kissel on LinkedInConnect with Alex Kent on LinkedInCheck out the Stord WebsiteCheck out the IPG's Website

Julie from Alpaca Picnic embodies everything it takes to make a serious pivot during the pandemic. Julie worked in entertainment previously and was even a flight attendant for the St. Louis, traveling to all the team games. In November 2020 after cancelling event planning gigs, Julie moved back home to start her new venture planning luxury picnic pop-ups around the St. Louis area. With the help of her team (parents) she's created beautiful, IG-worthy picnics for couples and friends to celebrate life's special moments. Support the show

Mitch Malinsky, Head of Strategic Partnerships at PheedLoop Inc., sits down with GBTA's head of Communications, Research and PR, Debbie Iannaci, at the GBTA Conference 2022 – Toronto Podcast Booth to share advice for event planners looking to plan events going forward in the aftermath of the global pandemic.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #169 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Erin Joy. As the founder and executive consultant behind Erin Joy Business Coaching & Consulting, Erin uses over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, roundtable facilitation, business strategy, and executive coaching to help fellow female business owners launch, propel, and grow their companies. Erin has hosted over 300 roundtables, 200 group coaching calls, 70 live events, and 1000 online events, and the company continues to serve over 60 clients. Erin is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Business Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology to enhance her ability to connect with and support women in business on both a professional and emotional level. She is also the host of a new radio show and PODCAST: “Erin Joy Talks Business.” She has released an anthology of advice from women business owners titled The Anatomy of Accomplishment: Your Guide to Bigger, Better, Bolder Business Results. In this episode, Erin shares her “favorite mistake” story about a “huge mistake” that she avoided by making a pivot before it was too late. She was looking to franchise the roundtable side of her business — how did she discover this would have been a “heavy lift” (and an expensive one at that)? How did she pivot and what happened? We also talk about questions and topics including: What does it mean to be a “business psychologist?” Business is about making predictions… and testing… you have 25-year plan? How specific are the details of that plan? Is there wiggle room? What can we do to be more resilient and better adjust to what life and business throws at us? “Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs” Video you posted in 2021 — “A time to give up control” — when is that necessary for a business leader and how can they do that? You work mainly with women leaders and entrepreneurs — are there mistakes you help them avoid in career transitions? Or setting them up to learn from them? What do we need to be doing to build the next generation of women as leaders? Tell us about the podcast — what topics do you cover? What sort of guests do you have? Find Erin on social media: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/favorite-mistake/support

He worked on creative for Disney and Universal Studios early in his career and is now managing partner at Mills James, a production company that specializes in live and virtual events, commercial production, digital media content and audiovisual services. Rodrick shares how they pivoted to virtual in the pandemic and how he manages his team in this new normal.   Vibrant and Hugh & Grace code: GREENERGRASS Get the Greener Grass Newsletter HERE IG: @grandrevecreative Twitter: @grass_podcast Email:  kerry@grandrevecreative.com

Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso talk with Andrew Abatemarco of A La Carting and Jen Gould Luxe Events on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.

Alex Haefner is the Head of Product at Envoy, the workplace platform helping companies manage safe hybrid workplaces so employees can connect, collaborate, and thrive. Not long ago, before the pandemic drastically changed our lives, Alex Haefner decided to be a part of the Envoy family, not knowing that work-from-home setups would be the next big thing. In this episode, he shares his experience of running a business amidst all the shifts and changes brought by the pandemic. In today's interview, let's find out how he's been able to re-align the company's vision and mission, strengthen its pillars, and manage to shift its focus to the right path. You'll be amazed at how this showrunner handled it. So what are you waiting for? Let's hear his story by clicking on that play button!  Show Notes [0:46] Alex's experience of running a business in a pandemic [4:13] The story of how they built up a bunch of ideas that could potentially build customers and went through trial and error. [7:28] Time to market is one of the things that they prioritized. [8:25] When you're trying to build a future for your company, you have to go out and talk to people. [12:56] How did the pandemic affect your whole team? [13:33] Aligning the entire company with their new vision and mission [14:17] How did he manage to not lose heart and shift the business focus? [18:55] They spent a lot of time training everyone internally and growing their confidence in moving forward in the right direction. [22:52] You must have grit and be at ease with challenges. Invest time in taking care of yourself and your mental health. About Alex Haefner Alex is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Before Envoy, Alex previously served as a product leader at Yelp, where he led a team of engineers and spearheaded its content teams. In his spare time, he likes to work on personal projects and is continuously seeking general self-improvement.  Links Envoy Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction Profile Alex's LinkedIn Alex's Twitter

Knowing how to pivot is part of the game.  Diversification is a skill and no one knows how to do it better than NFL player William Sweet.  From pivoting his focus away from Atlanta real estate to creating a new business out of his passion for Teslas, William Sweet , Former NFL player and Chief Executive Officer at Sweet Ventures, LLC, is making his money work for him.  Join us as we discuss: Why he's shifted from Atlanta to Jacksonville  How he's diversified into Tesla  How he picks diversification partnerships    To stay up to date on The Real Estate of Things, check us out on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or on our website .  Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Real Estate of Things on your favorite podcast player.  

Zelia is the Co-Founder of PraisePal - The Peer Recognition tool for companies with global teams to grow employee engagement and build stronger culture. No matter where or how their employees work. She also co-founded travel curator Anywhr, which was part of Google For Startups' Blackbox Scholarship and Google Demo Day Asia. Show notes at: https://www.jeremyau.com/blog/zelia-leong You can find the community discussion for this episode at: https://club.jeremyau.com/c/podcasts/zelia-leong

In this episode we speak with DeNeitra Burnett, the Founder and CEO of Savvy Events, a Los-Angeles based event production and creative agency. With an MBA from Cal State San Bernardino and BA in Communications from Howard University, DeNeitra has used her creativity and grit to climb to the top of the events industry. She's a regular on the BizBash 500 list of the nation's most influential event planners and works closely with entertainment titans and Fortune 500 companies like HBO, Netflix, and HP, among others. In today's episode, you'll hear how when the events business was shut during the Pandemic, she pivoted her business to custom mailers. Her clever thinking, creative problem solving and ideation led her to scale her business to a 7-Figure Business. In this episode DeNeitra shares: How she made her first custom mailer during the pandemic and created a whole new division in her business How she structures her pricing to make sure she is fairly compensated How she's expanding her business and team to incorporate both event production and creative mailer production and so much more! Check out this episode and others on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube  Links mentioned in this episode Savvy-events.com Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss Announcements Join our Facebook Community If you're looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook Guest Social Media Info Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro #SideHustlePro Savvy Events- @savvyeventsllc

This is a special episode highlighting key takeaways from past cases. In this episode, host Lyssa Myska Allen discusses tips for the best customer experience, from in-person to virtual, from top industry leaders.Quotes*”There's no easier audience to sell to than people who have already bought from you, know that you exist, and like the product. And so if you want to sell more to your existing customer base, you can increase their lifetime value, either through your core offering and doing a subscription service, or you can continue to launch new products that are complementary to whatever you're selling.” - Orchid Bertelsen*”When you're designing an [educational] experience, you have to get out of the learner's way as much as possible. And anything you do that adds a little bit of cognitive load or unnecessary cognitive load, the learners feel it, and you'll see that in the churn.” - Ori Ratner*”If you do it really well, you have this nice flow between an intelligent virtual assistant and an agent. If it needs to hand off for context, that's going to make or break an experience.” - Melissa O'Brien*“The most important thing to me is the symbiotic nature of technology and customer experience. In this day and age, you can't really have one without the other. Or you can, but it just won't be a great experience.” - Boone Putney*“I think the best thing that has come out of the blended world is really seeing how much we're able to do without having fans actually come to the building, and how much we've been able to engage with the community and help in other ways, besides from the hockey standpoint. We have great ownership that allow us to do that and have given us the ability and the resources to be able to do that. And so it's just a testament to our foundation and our DNA that's within the brand.” - Keren Lynch*“You need to have focus and say no to 98% of audience expansion tactics. And then you have to have a super clear origin myth that almost acts like a magnet. A brand is not that visual styling you put on at the end. It's your brand voice and your attitude and your very reason for being. It's the mission. And that's what millennials and others will get attracted to. Nobody wants some generic corporate thing. It's very forgettable. So you have to have a narrow focus and a clear appeal to those people based on a deep understanding of their needs and their larger context. You may be just a small, transactional part of their life, but if you want to attract them, you should still resonate for them.” - Tim Ash*“We really should be the guide along a customer's journey, not the hero of their journey. Like they are the hero, right. We're just here to make their lives better. And so much of it is listening to their pain points, listening to what brings them joy, listening to the words that they say, and then writing them down and then saying them back to them. I mean, that's literally what we do. We do a lot of case studies with our customers and we'll take the exact words that our customers say about why they like Transect, some feature that's helpful for them, and we'll regurgitate it in a marketing campaign because we know that that's what their peers are used to hearing.” - Robin LaineTime StampsThe Case of…*[0:43] Scaling up a DTC Brand with Orchid Bertelsen, COO at Common Thread Collective*[1:42] The Move to Mobile with Alexie Harper and Ori Ratner, Chief Product Officer and Chief Technology Officer at Quantic School of Business and Technology*[2:30] Balancing Automation with Human Interaction with Melissa O'Brien*[3:08] Leveraging Technology to Meet the Needs of End Users with Boone Putney*[3:58] The Pandemic Pivot with Keren Lynch*[5:17] Getting Inside Your Customer's Head with Tim AshThank you to our friendsThis podcast is brought to you by HGS. A global leader in optimizing the customer experience lifecycle, digital transformation, and business process management, HGS is helping its clients become more competitive every day. Learn more at hgs.cx.Links:Connect with Lyssa on LinkedInCheck out HGS

Jana Danielson is an award-winning wellness entrepreneur who through her own experience with physical pain turned her mess into her message. She is an Amazon Best Selling Author, owner of Lead Pilates and Lead Integrated Health Therapies, her bricks & mortar businesses, and the Metta District, her online wellness community. She is the creator of the Cooch Ball, the world's first patented pelvic floor fitness tool for women. Jana has coached and consulted with thousands of women from all over the world to help improve their quality of life, their confidence, and their impact in this world. 00:00 - 00:47 Jana's Bio 00:48 - 01:32 https://www.peppershock.com/product/billie-razors-offer/ 01:33 - 19:02 Marketing Essentials Moment: Time Blocking, Planning, and Focus on Beast Mode 19:03 - 19: 32 Welcome to Peppershock Media's Marketing Expedition Podcast 19:33 - 22:17 Welcome to the show, Jana! Walk us through! 22:18 - 25:56 “Take your mess and turn it to your message; then take your message and turn it to your mission.” -Jana Danielson 25:57 - 29:22 The anatomy of pain 29:23 - 36:50 Jana shares her marketing strategy 36:51 - 41:03 Starting her first webinar 41:04 - 44:01 What success looks and feels like for Jana 44:02 - 46:26 Resources for business growth 46:27 - 51:36 Pivoting through the challenges of the pandemic 51:37 - 52:54 How to reach Jana 52:55 - 54:30 Jana's final advice 54:31 - 55:00 Thank you so much, Jana! Enjoy the journey 55:01 - 55:46 Join https://themarketingexpedition.com today! Hey! Billie is a female-first shave and body brand that's putting an end to the Pink Tax on razors. By spreading the word about The Pink Tax Rebate (no purchases necessary) we get up to a $20 credit to spend on Billie razors and body care. Let's do this! #onlinewellness #wellness #marketingstrategies #marketing #marketingtips #digitalmarketing #marketingstrategy #webinar #pandemicpivot #coochball #goochball #branding #advertising

John and George Pertesis were part of a franchise that went under after the pandemic. I noticed a change in the decor but there was no indication of a brewing problem. After speaking with George's pops he told me the story and I invited him to be on the show to share with our audience. Everything is Figureoutable is not just not the name of a book by Marie Forleo it's a mindset. The Pertesis family figured out how to make it work. We have three sponsors of today's episode Ron Thurston, Lenses Only and the Kreative Print Shop Ron is a seasoned retail executive who started his career on the frontlines, he's the author of Retail Pride and the founder of Take Pride Today, and a former guest on the podcast. If you're tired of a station that doesn't speak to your needs and you're interested in learning more about the BTW Podcast visit RUNUTAINMENT. BTW Podcast is listener-supported, I started a Ko-fi page to allow small businesses and entrepreneurs to sponsor an episode. BTW Podcast now has a Patreon page. BTW Podcast is listener-supported. The launching of my Ko-fi and Patreon page is me embracing my talents, this is me walking in my purpose, this is me taking the leap, acknowledging that what I'm doing is providing a valuable service for the audience, the guest and sponsors. BTW Podcast is a business. You can visit Derek Oxley to stay up today on current happenings with BTW Podcast, sign up for the Newsletter, check out the blog or order merchandise. I took the leap 4 years ago to drive for Uber/Lyft Full-time, so I could have the flexibility to devote to building BTW Podcast. Like everyone BTW Podcast was impacted with the pandemic. Ko-fi is platform that will allow entrepreneurs/business owners to sponsor an episode PRE, MID or POST roll, it also allows you to buy me a cup of coffee. Patreon will allow listeners to show their support for the podcast on a monthly basis, Patreon supporters of the show will gain access to behind the scenes material, early access to merchandise, bonus episodes, and access to UINC, TIPS and RUNUTAINMENT articles. Thanks for accompanying me on this ride. Leave a voicemail on Anchor to let us know how we're doing and receive a shout out in a future episode or you can now visit my brand spanking new BTW Podcast website in the lower right hand corner there's a microphone simply click that and record a message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/derek-oxley/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/derek-oxley/support

In 2019 Joyce ordered her first hemp business cards from Erica Halverson's business, the TINY e PAPER Company. Uniquely, TINY e PAPER makes 100% pure hemp paper on a commercial scale utilizing both hemp stalks and the waste from CBD extractors, which is addressing several problems now faced by the cannabis industry. Erica is on a mission to sell her products and run her business using smarter resource than trees in addition to utilizing the waste being generated by a rapidly growing sector of the cannabis/hemp industry. Joyce and Erica cover a lot of topics ranging from Erica's aha moments when she was working in Korea and hiding her cannabis consumption to her mission to make the cannabis industry a leader in hemp packaging by keeping control and making it all here in America.The Canna Mom Show wants to thank our sponsor, Fortuna Design, a cannabis friendly (and woman founded) data-driven creative design, strategy, and problem-solving marketing firm right here in Massachusetts for making today's show possible.Thank you for your support and please subscribe so you never miss an episode!Topics Discussed(1:52) Constance Baker Motley: Civil Rights Queen(2:08) Ketanji Brown Jackson(2:50) Maura Healey for Governor(4:20) Cannabis and President Biden(4:45) Lady Buds the Movie(6:00) The Canna Mom Show Reality Show(6:31) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel of Cannabis(6:47) Thank You Fortuna Design(7:05) Erica Halverson Introduction(8:15) TINY e PAPER and Erica's Dad(9:23) Why Hemp Paper?(13:34) Cannabis as Hemp Packaging Leaders(14:14) Creating Tiny e Paper(15:52) From Carbon to Cannabis(16:32) Re-educating Farmers(21:26) Pandemic Pivot(23:18) American Made and Processed(24:46) Serena Williams Venture Capital(28:30) Erica's Personal Story(32:12) Pax(34:06) THANK YOU FORTUNA DESIGN(35:55) Data Freak(36:40) 2022! Scaling Up(42:60) Connect with Erica on Linked-In and WebsiteThe Canna Mom Show wants to thank:Josh Lamkin and Bella Jaffe for writing and performing TCMS theme music

This episode features an interview with Keren Lynch, Publicist and Manager of Communications for the Anaheim Ducks. Keren talks about the challenges they faced during the pandemic as an in-person events based business. She shares how the Ducks worked to be an asset to their community, and to engage with their fan base in new and unique ways, including socially distanced and virtual events.Quotes*“We ran a few food drives during the pandemic just to make sure everybody in our community had the resources during this time. We did a back to school drive where we made sure kids had supplies for school. We also did a number of socially distance events in the parking lot. So we really tried to stay as engaged as we could with our fan base, given the restrictions and keeping everybody safe. But it was a really neat time just because you realized how much of a community asset we were.” *“I think the best thing that has come out of the blended world is really seeing how much we're able to do without having fans actually come to the building, and how much we've been able to engage with the community and help in other ways, besides from the hockey standpoint. We have great ownership that allow us to do that and have given us the ability and the resources to be able to do that. And so it's just a testament to our foundation and our DNA that's within the brand. [...] I think that that's something that our ownership, the Samueli's, really try and touch upon and make part of our culture. And obviously we love having people to hockey games and that's always going to be the biggest draw. But I think that our charity component and everything we do off ice has really taken center stage.”Time Stamps*[0:08] The Case: The Pandemic Pivot to Virtual Engagement*[0:36] Introducing Keren Lynch, Publicist and Manager of Communication for the Anaheim Ducks*[5:40] Evidence #1: Reliance on in-person events revenue*[16:20] Evidence #2: Struggling to diversify events*[19:57] Debrief*[21:08] HGS PubBioKeren Lynch is the Publicist and Manager of Communications for the Anaheim Ducks professional hockey team based in Anaheim, California. Previously, Keren was a Marketing And Public Relations Consultant at Stanton.Thank you to our friendsThis podcast is brought to you by HGS. A global leader in optimizing the customer experience lifecycle, digital transformation, and business process management, HGS is helping its clients become more competitive every day. Learn more at hgs.cx.Links:Connect with Keren on LinkedInCheck out the Anaheim DucksConnect with Lyssa on LinkedInCheck out HGS

Join me on today's podcast to hear the story of a successful side gigger whose primary gig got completely shut down in the pandemic.

Let me tell you about the time events came to a halt and the salary stopped salarying, but I still had a full time job to do. Even in the thick of a global panorama, the party don't stop...until it does...but then it kinda doesn't. You'll have to listen for me to fully explain this chaos and how my pivot paved the way for a better Elle R Jae Events.

Hey WD Fam, I'm thrilled to bring you this conversation I had with Markus Dinger from Germany. He's not only the drummer for Outbreakband, but he's got a massive heart for the Kingdom, oh and did we mention he's a monster drummer!? Show Sponsor This episode is brought to you by Worship Drum Samples. Get instant access to unlimited drum samples created for the worship songs your church is singing today. Timestamps and Topics 0:00 - Intro 3:40 - Markus' Drumming Journey - Germany to IHOP KC 17:50 - Outbreakband 22:45 - Why take drum lessons? 26:30 - The pandemic from Markus' context 35:50 - On putting out high quality content 38:17 - Some practical advice for drummers 45:55 - Drumming influences 50:03 - Drum gear Rundown 56:29 - What has God been speaking to you lately 1:04:08 - Markus prays for all of us Links to Things IHOP KC Jaye Thomas Outbreak Band // Atmosphäre Markus' Online Course (In German) Marco Minnemann // Dave Weckl // Darren King // Benny Greb // Chris Coleman Keep In Touch with Markus YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/markusdinger Website: https://www.markusdinger.de Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markusdinger/

#010 - Namaste Ready.  Today's interview is with ShakaJamal, a yoga instructor in Oakland and Founder of Namaste Ready.  He is expanding the reach of yoga beyond its traditional practitioners.  Some people practice at home, but do not feel comfortable going to studios.  He is working with black men, people of color, and young people all over Oakland.  He wants to “transform and change the zip code of yoga.”When the pandemic hit, he knew he had something that the people needed and had to figure out how to keep it going.  Before the quarantine, everything was in person - he did maybe only 1-2 classes online.  After the pandemic, EVERYTHING went online.  He says the classes are only a small part.  The class builds up “reserves” - they are about learning as much as you can for yourself so when you're NOT able to join, you have your own personal practice.Be sure to listen to the whole interview to learn how he started working with the Golden State Warriors.

The past year and a half has been a whirlwind for every person around the globe. No one could have foreseen what was to come, especially service based businesses who were put on hold for longer than businesses able to pivot digitally. Lisa sits down with Rachel to discuss some of her initial thoughts, how she was able to navigate personally & professionally remaining calm during a global pandemic, and how small businesses were impacted by what seem to be everlasting changes in their industries. This time was exciting for Lisa's business in the sense she was able to focus her efforts on aligned brands, content in the organizing space, and collaborating with like minded partners!

The pandemic and lockdown of 2020 changed all of us. With the challenges came many teachings. In this episode, we're joined by Nicole Barham, who is sharing how the pandemic made her reach her breaking point and change aspects of her life that she wouldn't have considered changing before the global crisis. Nicole is a Finance Systems Coach who shows women entrepreneurs how to stop stressing about money by showing them how to not just be the boss in their business but also be the boss of their finances, in just minutes a day.     

In this conversation, Coach Nik Sweeney shares about her path to becoming a health coach and how she made a Pandemic Pivot to Prevention with her coaching business.

In this conversation, Coach Nik Sweeney shares about her path to becoming a health coach and how she made a Pandemic Pivot to Prevention with her coaching business.

Warby Parker co-founder David Gilboa talks to Wharton's Katherine Klein about how the company stuck to its founding principles during the chaos created by the coronavirus pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since 1986, Gequinn Mattox has worked for the University of Colorado and as a Program Coordinator on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO in the Center for American Indian & Native American Health. Since 2003, Gequinn has been an event planner & coordinator for a variety of events. She may be late to launch a business in the event planning industry, but Gequinn is not new to the industry and has been tagged to be the favored up-and-coming event planner of Colorado. Gequinn is a true “Event Slayer” in her own right. www.ybdevents.com00:00 - 00:24 Overview of Gequinn Mattox, her pandemic pivot story, and today's podcast topic00:24 - 07:35 Rhea's Marketing Essentials: Choosing the right agency for your business07:35 - 08:43 www.peppershock.com/product/stash-20-of-a-stock-offer/ for $20 of a stock offer from the Stash App08:43 - 08:59 Welcome to the Marketing Expedition Podcast08:59 - 11:28 Welcome Gequinn Mattox11:28 - 13:11 Gequinn talks about being a Pandemic Compliance Advisor and what that looks like13:11 - 15:01 Hear Gequinn discusses what lead her to create her own business15:01 - 18:33 Events Gequinn did pre-COVID18:33 - 26:22 Ways Gequinn got through the pandemic and kept her event planning business alive and what the future looks like26:11 - 32:14 Marketing and networking tips from Gequinn32:14 - 35:56 Advice from Gequinn to someone wanting to pursue a career in event planning35:56 - 41:20 How Gequinn stays on top of the latest trends41:20 - 42:31 Huge thanks to Gequinn for sharing her knowledge and journey42:31 - 42:47 Thanks for listening, find more podcasts online at www.peppershock.com42:47 - 43:19 Check out www.themarketingexpedition.com to build relationships with others and find the latest marketing trendsStash is an app for banking, saving, and investing. Try it with this link and add cash, you'll get $20 of stock and we'll get a bonus too.#pandemicpivot #COVID #entrepreneurs #womeninbusiness #digitalmarketing #startups #opportunities #networking #marketing #branding #advertising #eventplanning

Jaime Krupnick, one of the most sought-after event planners, was at the top of her game when the pandemic caused her business and all live events to come to a screeching halt. Living in Southern California, she planned huge events for the stars including American Idol events and other landmark events across the globe. Her mission was to create events that would create memories for a lifetime. Jaime recognized that her attention to detail, ability to create relationships, unrelenting perseverance, and knowledge of her hometown would set her up for a new career in Real Estate. She studied, took her exam, was hired by a prestigious real estate company, and sold her first home, all in under one year's time. In this episode, you will learn *How being open to seeing another path, knowing your strengths, and reinventing yourself can lead to overall life satisfaction. *How self-care is non-negotiable and can help you perform at your best & achieve your biggest goals *How when times are tough, practicing mindfulness can help you stay focused on what you value most. *How building long-lasting relationships are the key to your success.

Jaime Krupnick, one of the most sought-after event planners, was at the top of her game when the pandemic caused her business and all live events to come to a screeching halt. Living in Southern California, she planned huge events for the stars including American Idol events and other landmark events across the globe. Her mission was to create events that would create memories for a lifetime. Jaime recognized that her attention to detail, ability to create relationships, unrelenting perseverance, and knowledge of her hometown would set her up for a new career in Real Estate. She studied, took her exam, was hired by a prestigious real estate company, and sold her first home, all in under one year's time. In this episode, you will learn *How being open to seeing another path, knowing your strengths, and reinventing yourself can lead to overall life satisfaction. *How self-care is non-negotiable and can help you perform at your best & achieve your biggest goals *How when times are tough, practicing mindfulness can help you stay focused on what you value most. *How building long-lasting relationships are the key to your success.

2:33 That's when it started to hit me and I was getting a little bit nervous about things.4:57 I was really just in survival mode at that point.5:11 Are we at a point in our relationship where we're really gonna hunker down together and there's no end date? Are we going to do this?5:48 We're gonna be in this for awhile6:05 I hired a moving company, they Facetimed me and they went in and packed up my entire apartment and put it in boxes and into storage in Jersey City7:30 I was like “I'm going to start packing a bag” -- cases are starting to increase at a rate that's a little uncomfortable8:06 There's talk of Broadway shutting down. Talk of shutting down the bridges and tunnels.8:49 I immediately had the image of I Am Legend13:23 How can you look away? How can you not watch the news 24/7 to see what the heck is going on? 16:18 We had a family dinner and everybody got on Facetime together and had dinner together and that was the first time I met Luke's family 16:47 It was hard for me because it's been over a year since I've seen my family21:30 I had to buy a car. I didn't have a car for the 5+ years that I lived in NYC. That was definitely an adjustment.22:02 We get antsy. We're not going out to dinner. We don't see other people. We're not on an airplane seeing different cities. 22:34 Not being able to see other things, interact with other people or be in different environments, I felt like my brain was coming to a standstill23:05 Companies are seeing that you can get a lot done with remote work24:30 Zoom fatigue is real25:26 The past year and a half has really tested the resilience of humans28:41 There's a lot of change taking place and you need to pause and be a little gentle with people right now29:58 It's hard to be vulnerable with your manager about how you're feeling and have a break down36:22 Throughout Covid you find who your true friends are -- the ones who are going to be there through thick and thin39:56 I'm genuinely just trying to figure out life right now. Give me a second to breathe. I've had a lot of change in a couple months. This is too intense.41:26 We've come this far, we want to stay safe and stay healthy44:21 Now I'm having anxiety about what life looks like after this46:22 That glimmer of hope and that light at the end of the tunnel is really what helps us move forwardJackie referenced their favorite local restaurant Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, check them out and support them if you're in the Syracuse area!

In this episode, I sat down with Carla Morris, owner of The Frugal Hanger, and chatted about her decision to pivot from her career as a hairstylist to a full-time reseller of clothing and accessories.We chat about tricks to her trade, selling on Instagram, and what's next for her business.Since she graduated high school, she has been behind the chair in the salon. Coming from a long line of antique dealers, she has sold her own second-hand finds on eBay and Instagram for many years. When Covid hit, she wasn't sure when she would be able to open her salon again, and coupled with salon burnout, she took it as a sign to go full-time reselling clothing and accessories from the '50s to the '90s.Follow Small Revolution Podcast @small.revolutionFollow Savanna Weber @savannawebermarketingFollow Carla Morris @thefrugalhangerCredit: Rozco Crash - Audio Engineer

Pandemic restrictions may not allow for all your loved ones to attend your BIG day. Live Streaming your ceremony for those that can't be there may be a solution!Do attendance restrictions during the pandemic have you limited on the number of guests who can attend your ceremony? Catch the moment in a completely different way and allow those guests to still be with you through Live Streaming.Live streaming your wedding ceremony is one way you can overcome pandemic restrictions. Tune in to hear more how your day can include this no matter your budget!In this episode, co-hosts Kristina, Mike & Sharon talk about pivoting in a pandemic and how to include all your friends and family through Live Streaming when restrictions are in place.BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND/LEARN/DISCOVER/FIND OUT: DISCOVER - How Live Streaming can allow your family & friends to still share in your BIG day during a pandemic.UNDERSTAND - What questions to ask the professional doing the Live Streaming.FIND OUT - Why the right equipment and communicating with your venue about Live Streaming is important.LEARN - How to pivot in a pandemic and still include all your invited guests even with gathering restrictions.Share how you've had to pivot your wedding day plans during the pandemic. Tag us on Facebook or Instagram @theringtheblingandallthethings Connect with the hosts:Kristina Stubblefield - www.kristinastubblefield.com or www.soinmediagroup.comsocial media @kristinastubblefield_ or @soinmediagroupSharon Rumsey, A Perfect Plan Events www.aperfectplanevents.com social media @aperfectplankentuckianaMichael Gaddie, Lloyd's Florist  www.lloydsflorist.net  social media @lloydsfloristOur vision is to bring vendors, venues, show producers, wedding groups and engaged couples to ONE amazing place! We have built a platform that you can use us to access local vendors, video and photo inspiration galleries, mood boards, wedding stories and articles, engagement stories, exclusive savings, wedding show and expo events in your area, online stores, resources like wedding registries and informative podcasts as well as education events! www.ringblingallthethings.com

https://www.lashartistbox.com Save 25% at Lash Boss Conference with code KATIEGROSS at lashbossconference.com The post 074 – Katie Gross from Lash Artist Box | Imposter Syndrome, Pandemic Pivot, Etc. appeared first on Lash Boss Radio.

“It felt like I am just completely back to the beginning in both a terrifying and exhilarating way.” - Haley Bohon, Founder and CEO of Skillpop Welcome to the failed it! Podcast. Each week, your host and improve it! founder Erin Diehl, will take you on a comedic journey that flips the “highlight reel” of Instagram on its head and shows you the grit, creativity and determination it takes to overcome your disappointments, embrace the suck, and design the career you've only dreamed about. On this episode, host Erin Diehl brings on a fellow female founder, Haley Bohon, to hear her journey on starting Skillpop, a company that hosts expert-led classes and workshops on topics such as photography, gardening, social media and more. Haley talks all about the lessons she's learned in becoming an entrepreneur and founder, and how the pandemic has forced her to quickly pivot her in-person learning company to become an online space. Check out the highlights from their conversation below.   ●   [4:25] Erin has retaken the Enneagram test and she is a Type 3, like Haley! What's your personality type? ●   [6:05] Inspiration for this podcast ●   [6:55] Haley's career journey and lessons learned ●   [11:52] What led Haley to create her 4 ½ year old business ●   [13:29] Importance of finding community in a new city ●   [18:45] Current situation within the pandemic ●  [22:01] Disaster planning ●  [25:05] Join improve it!'s WFH (workshop from home) membership ●  [27:41] Skillpop Anywhere was launched in 3 days ●  [31:14] Haley's 3 biggest lessons: Problems/Solutions, Ask for Help, Build in Normalcy ●  [34:32] Great book shout out - Traction ●  [37:30] Haley's awesome advice ●  [41:54] Skillpop Anywhere Pitch ●  [43:08] Screenshot you listening and tag us using #faileditpodcast! Instagram: @learntoimproveit Facebook: @learntoimproveit     Haley Bohon graduated from NC State University with her B.S in Mechanical Engineering and since has worked both in Product Development for a Fortune 500 company and in project management for a local tech company. Currently, Haley is the founder and CEO of SkillPop, a company that hosts expert-led classes and workshops on topics such as photography, gardening, social media and more. Since launching in 2015, the company has held over 4,000 in-person classes and has facilitated learning for over 40,000 students. Recently, SkillPop has introduced an online platform called "SkillPop Anywhere." You can find her on Instagram @SkillPop or on Facebook and Twitter @SkillpopHQ.     Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She's a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin @keepinitrealdiehl on instagram.