Freed Stories: Turning Five and Six Figure Businesses into Seven and Eight Figure Legacies This podcast shines a light on everyday entrepreneurs and business owners who are scaling their ventures to new heights. Each episode features a member of our community sharing their Freed Story - a journey of challenges, breakthroughs, and invaluable insights. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, these real stories of grit, determination, and creativity will educate and inspire you. Join us as we explore the diverse paths founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners take to achieve their unique personal and professional freedom. Freed Stories is your companion on the entrepreneurial journey, proving that while the road may be challenging, you don’t have to travel it alone. Tune in for practical wisdom, innovative strategies, and the motivation to turn your business dreams into reality
Episodes
Tuesday Jun 01, 2021
Tuesday Jun 01, 2021
It's Maggie here stepping in for Jackie in this episode of the podcast, and I welcome Andy Louis-Charles and Nathan Rodgers back to the podcast, both of whom have been on the show in the past. (If you haven't heard the episodes in which they are featured, be sure to check them out!) We mix things up a little bit this time and do something different, answering questions that have been submitted by members of the Freed community, questions about entrepreneurship in general.
In this first part of my session with Andy and Nathan, we answer several questions about entrepreneurship such as how to get started and what the first action is that you should take, with Nathan emphasizing how important it is to simply find a problem that people are willing to pay money to have solved. Andy and Nathan also discuss how to become an LLC (limited liability company) as well as how to go about determining whether or not you need to do that and how to establish an effective bookkeeping method (which Andy and Nathan answer by offering a lot of recommendations in the way of online bookkeeping services). They close this episode by touching upon a not very fun but very important topic – the necessity of filing taxes and how to be sure that you're staying on top of them!
Join me in the next episode as Andy, Nathan, and I continue to answer more questions sent in by the Freed community, and also be sure to continue to tune in to the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:59] – Maggie announces returning guests Andy and Nathan as the guests of this episode and reveals the focus of the episode – answering questions about entrepreneurship sent in by the Freed community.
[1:46] – The first question addressed is what the first thing someone should do on their entrepreneurial journey is, and Andy says it’s to find your first customer and service them.
[4:04] – Nathan adds to Andy's insight, emphasizing that you need to take action and move forward.
[6:43] – Andy argues that it's crucial that you make a sale.
[7:28] – The second question asks how one can become a limited liability company, and Andy says that you should form an entity that you operate your business out of.
[9:26] – Andy gives an example involving a hypothetical baking business.
[10:51] – Nathan points out that if you're wondering whether or not you need an LLC, then you probably do.
[13:02] – Andy addresses how to set up an effective bookkeeping method.
[15:37] – We learn that there are a lot of virtual bookkeeping services such as Bench Accounting and Xendoo.
[16:56] – Nathan recommends Wave as another bookkeeping service, unique in that it’s free!
[18:53] – Andy recommends how to stay on top of paperwork such as taxes.
[21:25] – Nathan explains that you might need to pay quarterly taxes depending on how much money your business is making.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Freed Stories - “What Being Freed Is All About with Andy Louis-Charles”
Freed Stories - “Freed Minds Behind the Magic with Andy Louis-Charles”
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Maggie Partin joins me again to talk about her new company and what has changed in her professional life since you heard her in the first episode of the podcast. Maggie's new company is called The Seventh Sense and is a loungewear line intended to support strong emotional and mental health. Maggie discusses what inspired the clothing line and details what the objective of it is, and she also shares what developments she hopes the loungewear line will see over the next five years.
In addition, Maggie offers some helpful advice to anyone who might want to walk a similar path as hers. She clarifies that in order to start an online retail company, you need five tools: (1) an LLC (limited liability company), (2) a professional email address, (3) a Shopify account, (4) a graphic designer if you don't do your designs yourself, and lastly, (5) merchandise and a manufacturer to make your merchandise if you don't do that yourself. She also shares with us a few fun facts about herself, such as what her first major job was and how she felt about it (indirectly providing some invaluable insight into what makes an effective leader and/or supervisor), what sources of support and mentorship have benefitted her over her lifetime and what she learned from those sources, and even how she feels about personal ads!
It was so much fun having Maggie on the podcast again to share updates on how her professional life has been progressing and to talk about The Seventh Sense, and I look forward to talking to her again in the future! As always, I hope that you will continue to tune in to the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:58] – We are introduced to this episode's guest, Freed partner Maggie Partin.
[1:42] – Maggie gives us an update on how things have been going for her since she was last on the podcast.
[2:43] – Maggie reflects on how some of her plans have been put on the sidelines in favor of The Seventh Sense.
[5:09] – We discover what Maggie's primary objective was behind creating The Seventh Sense.
[7:02] – Maggie explains why she named her company The Seventh Sense.
[9:42] – Maggie discusses how she has been comfortable with most aspects of her new business but had to learn the accounting aspect of it.
[11:54] – Maggie shares with us what tools that she has been using to help her navigate her journey.
[14:48] – Maggie reveals additional resources that she has used that have been helpful for her.
[17:32] – Maggie recommends a free digital marketing course on LinkedIn.
[19:00] – We discover what sources of support and mentorship have been beneficial for Maggie.
[21:18] – Maggie describes how her first supervisor was an effective mentor for her.
[22:54] – Maggie provides us with a list of five tools needed to do something similar to what she does.
[25:05] – Maggie shares her hopes and plans for the next five years.
[27:06] – We learn where we can find The Seventh Sense online.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Freed Stories - “Forging Your Own Path with Maggie Partin”
The Seventh Sense’s Instagram Page
The Seventh Sense’s TikTok Page
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Tuesday May 18, 2021
Tune in as I chat with Natalie Maniscalco and Irene Zervoudis of Wonder Girls, one of the winners of the Freed Fellowship grant! Wonder Girls was founded in 2020 and is an after-school program for female high school students. The mission statement of the program is to build confidence, leadership skills, a sense of community, and essential business skills to succeed in the career path that these girls choose. They, in addition, do some community service, teaming up with local non-profit organizations, giving the girls the tangible experience of doing non-profit work. Natalie and Irene enthuse over the life skills that the girls of Wonder Girls are learning such as building a network and gaining confidence in themselves, and it's nothing short of inspiring!
Natalie and Irene discuss their jobs outside of Wonder Girls as well as their experience leading up to Wonder Girls, and they talk about how and why Wonder Girls was established. They also talk about what, as young girls, they wanted to be when they grew up and how that impacted what they do now. Irene was very much into fashion and worked her first retail job when she was only fourteen years old, which made her realize that she loved helping people. Natalie, on the other hand, knew that she wanted to wear a power suit after being inspired by a math teacher that she had who always wore one. She knew that she loved leading and took on leadership roles such as teaching, coaching, and camp counseling which she feels has come full circle now with Wonder Girls.
They also offer some helpful advice to anyone who might want to walk a similar path as theirs, with Natalie emphasizing how important it is to find the balance between thinking your plans through but also just diving in head first and not overthinking. As Wonder Women, Irene and Natalie also share what they consider their superpowers to be, with Irene revealing hers to be her ability to bring peace amongst chaos and Natalie sharing that hers is her ability to build relationships and make people feel comfortable enough to open up to her.
It was such a blast having Natalie and Irene on the podcast! As always, I hope that you will continue to tune in to the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:58] – We are introduced to the guests of this episode, Natalie Maniscalco and Irene Zervoudis of Wonder Girls.
[1:28] – We learn what Wonder Girls is and what its primary objective is.
[2:00] – Natalie shares how she is a publicist and marketer, specializing in bilingual PR and marketing.
[2:19] – Irene reveals that she is a marketing professional in the mortgage and real estate industry.
[2:43] – Irene discusses how and why Wonder Girls was launched.
[4:20] – Natalie explains how Wonder Girls has helped her and Irene as professional women themselves.
[6:18] – Irene shares what she wanted to do when she was younger and how that affected what she does today.
[7:51] – Natalie likewise enthuses over what she wanted to do when she was younger.
[9:48] – We learn how Natalie and Irene met and began working together.
[11:42] – We uncover what the biggest challenge of Wonder Girls has been and how Irene and Natalie have overcome that challenge.
[13:00] – Natalie shares some advice with anyone – especially women – who want to go down a similar path.
[14:14] – Natalie discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic was a hurdle but also served as a benefit for them because it gave them extra planning time before putting Wonder Girls into action.
[16:01] – We learn that Irene and Natalie consulted a lot of nonprofit specialists to help them get started and ensure that they were on the right path.
[18:29] – Natalie projects toward the future, hoping that they can take Wonder Girls national within the next five years.
[19:37] – Irene hopes that her daughters keep the vision of Wonder Girls alive.
[22:29] – Natalie enthusiastically posits that the girls of Wonder Girls are being introduced to networking and are learning how to interact with people.
[24:05] – Irene and Natalie reveal why it's important for programs like Wonder Girls to be helping high school girls at the age where the girls are.
[26:45] – Irene reveals what she considers her superpowers to be – peacefulness and connectivity.
[28:35] – Natalie also shares what her superpower is – her ability to make people feel comfortable.
[31:39] – We learn where we can find Wonder Girls online.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Freed fellow Tami Thornton, owner of Beehive Soap & Body Care, joins me today to discuss her business and how she got started with it. Beehive Soap is based out of Utah (the Beehive State, hence the name of the company) and has been in business for nearly twelve years!
Tami, funnily enough, started making soap as a hobby, but it eventually became a career. As a young girl, she saw herself as going into either nursing or teaching, and although she ended up on neither one of those paths, she does teach others the art of making soap, meaning that she sort of became a teacher after all!
She, in fact, has a lot to teach on this very podcast, offering incredibly helpful advice. Tami encourages us to not allow just one client to be too large a percentage of your revenue because if that one client scales back on buying from you, you don't have other revenue to fall back on. She also suggests not signing a lease until you have your business on the ground because you have to pay rent whether your business has been making money or not, and she advises us to write a business plan out even if we think that we have it sufficiently stored in our heads.
Last year was a challenging year for all of us, and Tami also shares with us how Beehive Soap was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She describes herself as optimistic and persistent, however, meaning that she persevered, and Beehive is still around and is not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, it's likely only going to get even bigger from here on out!
If you're interested in purchasing some products from Beehive Soap, Tami lists off the various ways that you can reach out to and purchase from the company. She even describes a few of the company's most popular products! As always, I hope that you will continue to tune in to the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:58] – We are introduced to this episode's guest - Tami Thornton, owner of Beehive Soap & Body Care.
[1:17] – Tami tells us a little bit about herself and her business, such as how she got started with it.
[2:43] – We learn that Tami wanted to be either a nurse or a teacher when she was a child, which morphed into what she does now in that she actually teaches others how to make soap.
[3:32] – Tami addresses a failure that her business endured in the past and what she learned from it.
[5:26] – Tami offers two pieces of advice to anyone who might want to walk a similar path as hers – (1) to not sign a lease right away and (2) to write a business plan.
[7:06] – Tami credits her husband, her daughter, and a program called Banking on Women as sources of support for her.
[9:18] – We gain an understanding of where the name of the company – Beehive Soap – comes from.
[9:51] – Tami lists off a few of Beehive's top selling products.
[11:07] – Tami elaborates upon how COVID-19 impacted her business.
[13:22] – Tami considers her optimism and her persistence to be her superpowers.
[14:04] – We discover where we can find Beehive Soap online.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Beehive Soap & Body Care - Website
Beehive Soap & Body Care’s Facebook Page
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Tuesday May 04, 2021
Freed fellow Elif Ekin, culinary artist and owner of Bohemian Baklava and of a Turkish cafe called Kahve Cafe, joins me in this episode of Freed Stories to share her journey and how she became an entrepreneur. Initially deciding to go into psychology, she soon realized that it wasn't actually for her and chose a path in art history instead which indirectly led to her career in making baklava. She has since been making baklava for a decade or so out of Salt Lake City, Utah and eventually made the decision to open up her own cafe – a decision that she describes as scary due to being a single mother without much support.
One aspect of Bohemian Baklava that makes it unique is that Elif accepts flavor challenges and creates new baklava flavors. (Can you imagine watermelon cotton candy baklava? Well, Elif doesn’t have to imagine it because it's a crazy flavor that she was actually asked to make!) Elif also discusses how she works hard to make Kahve Cafe a welcoming, loving, and safe community where customers are treated like family.
As an incredibly accomplished and inspirational woman, Elif offers people who might want to embark upon a similar journey as hers two valuable pieces of advice – (1) to be mindful of your reputation and how you interact with others and (2) to allow yourself to be vulnerable and real. She also encourages us to investigate our ideas even if they don't work out.
Be sure to reach out to Elif and learn more about Bohemian Baklava and Kahve Cafe via the various resources that Elif offers, and, as always, I hope that you will continue to tune in to the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on. Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:59] – Jackie welcomes this episode's guest to the podcast – Elif Ekin.
[1:20] – Elif shares with us that she is the culinary artist and owner of Bohemian Baklava and will soon be opening up a Turkish cafe.
[1:40] – Elif reveals that she has been making baklava for a decade or so in Salt Lake City and started the Kahve Cafe as an indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[2:39] – Elif describes the most unusual flavor of baklava that she was ever asked to make.
[4:10] – We discover what Elif wanted to be when she was a child and how that led to what she does today.
[5:18] – Elif discloses that she regrets thinking that she wasn't smart enough to start her own cafe by herself.
[6:32] – Elif shares two pieces of advice for people who might want to do something similar.
[9:05] – Elif credits Elizabeth Gilbert's book Big Magic as having been a helpful resource for her.
[10:19] – Elif projects toward the future, hoping that she will have a broader consumer base across the nation within five years.
[11:02] – We learn that Elif considers her superpower to be her ability to create a welcoming and loving community.
[12:17] – Elif lists off the several places where we can find her and her businesses online.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Elizabeth Gilbert – Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Bohemian Baklava's Instagram Page
Tuesday Apr 27, 2021
Tuesday Apr 27, 2021
I am joined today by fellow Freed member Becky Pool, founder and C.E.O. of Country Chick's Solutions, an online virtual assistant service for coaches, mentors, and online business owners who are looking to be online in a greater capacity or are looking to grow their online presence and influence.
2020 was a very difficult year for many of us, as it was for Becky. Becky was completely shocked when she unexpectedly lost her corporate job in late March of 2020, and she, for several months, worked remotely as a contract employee before starting Country Chick's Solutions in September of 2020. From a young age, Becky knew that she wanted to own her own business and make a difference, and having twenty years of experience in administrative work, she was perfect for her new role as an entrepreneur doing online virtual assistant work.
Becky offers a couple of pieces of advice to us, advising us that while losing your job is scary, starting your own business can be even scarier, so we should find someone who will encourage us and support us if we aren't sure of where our talents lie. She also assures us that it's okay for our dreams and goals to be scary, that they, in fact, should be if they're worthwhile. She even recommends a book to us and reveals what she believes her superpower to be!
As always, I hope that you will continue to tune in to the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on, and be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:58] – Jackie introduces Becky Pool, fellow Freed member, to this episode.
[1:18] – We learn what Becky's current job title is as founder and C.E.O. of Country Chick's Solutions, describing what her company does.
[1:46] – Becky, as she reveals, lost her corporate position in March of 2020, ultimately resulting in her establishing Country Chick's Solutions several months later in September of 2020.
[3:37] – We discover where the company's name comes from.
[4:23] – Becky discloses that, even at a young age, she always saw herself as owning a business and knew that she wanted to make a difference.
[5:44] – Becky offers two pieces of advice to anyone who finds themselves in similar shoes as hers.
[7:02] – Becky details what corporate work was like and how that has affected her current work as an entrepreneur.
[8:48] – We learn how Becky has routines and daily regimens in place that keep her schedule on track, and she describes what her typical day looks like from start to finish.
[11:32] – Becky credits her faith, her family, her business coach, and her church family as her main support system and also shares with us what book she is currently reading.
[12:45] – Becky hopes that in five years, she will be running the top level virtual assistant agency with at least 150 to 300 clients.
[13:16] – Becky believes her superpower to be discernment, her ability to predict and understand clients' needs beforehand.
[14:05] – We discover where online we can find Becky if we want to connect with her.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Country Chick's Solutions' Facebook Page
Country Chick’s Solutions - Website
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
We have a very special episode in store for you today as we welcome Freed Fellowship founder Andy Louis-Charles. Andy was only eight years old when he started his first business, and he continues to do great work as our inspirational Freed leader. As our leader, he removes obstacles and roadblocks and also serves as a coach, but he, as he states himself, also tries to let us do our own thing.
Andy shares how and why he founded Freed Fellowship, as he noticed a lot of disparities in economic and career opportunities. He consequently wanted to create an environment and a program that allowed people to free themselves from the limiting and unhelpful stories that they tell themselves, hence the name of the fellowship.
Offering plenty of helpful advice, Andy encourages us to get in over our heads because doing so forces your hand and makes you need to find a solution. He also advises us to find our personal discomfort zones and to build a team before going into a project alone, even if you can't initially afford to hire people and need to ask family members and friends to come on board or at least be a support system for you.
He reveals that he is the type of person to not overthink things because, from his experience, overthinking things tends to kill them. He is not a fan of the word failure because, as he declares, nothing is a failure if you have learned from it but is rather a lesson. Andy has ambitious and admirable goals for the future, hoping that Freed will help at least a thousand entrepreneurs form million dollar companies within the next decade, and he even shares with us what he believes his superpower to be!
Please continue to tune in to the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on, and be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:59] – Jackie introduces us to this episode's guest, Andy Louis-Charles.
[1:24] – Andy provides us with some background information about himself, such as how he is the founder of the Freed Fellowship and describes his role with the fellowship.
[2:40] – We learn what inspired Andy to establish the Freed Fellowship, as he noticed gaps in economic and career opportunities that he wanted to close.
[5:00] – Andy revealed where the name of Freed Fellowship came from – wanting to help us free ourselves from the limiting stories that we tell ourselves.
[6:37] – Andy shares that another definition of the word freed in the context of the fellowship is freeing locked up human potential.
[8:28] – Jackie and Andy enthuse over how Freed Fellowship can help people unhappy in the corporate world explore other opportunities.
[10:54] – Andy asserts that if you truly find something that is important to you, then you will figure out how to make it happen.
[12:36] – Andy offers us advice if we're looking to become entrepreneurs, advising us to get in over our heads.
[14:17] – We learn what obstacles Andy has faced over the years and what lessons he has learned from them.
[16:08] – Andy strongly encourages us to build a team before starting a project or business, even if it's made up of family members or friends.
[18:21] – Andy reveals two things that he wants fellowship members to get out of being members – removing unhelpful stories about ourselves and feeling like we are in a community.
[20:30] – Andy hopes that, over the next decade, Freed Fellowship will help at least 1,000 new entrepreneurs grow their businesses to million dollar businesses.
[23:20] – We discover that Andy believes his superpower to be his ability to connect dots and connect people.
[26:31] – Andy discloses where online we can reach out to him and the fellowship.
Links and Resources
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Tuesday Apr 13, 2021
Join me as Nathan Rodgers shares his own freed story this week! Nathan is currently a digital marketer and has a background in the public sector in the Peace Corps (which he joined after college). He then worked at UNICEF and had the opportunity to do business analysis and training around a software system called SAP. Nathan then lived and worked in Thailand and got to see a lot of the world which was exciting for him because he had always loved to travel.
Because he always felt like he wanted more out of a career than to spend the entirety of it at one bureaucratic organization, Nathan eventually took a risky leap of faith and allowed a contract to expire seven years ago – without anything else immediately lined up! It was a scary decision, but, as Nathan explains, almost every important decision that he has ever made has been made in opposition to fear. This decision eventually led him to Nicaragua, where, even though he initially thought that he would only stay for a short while, he has been for seven years, having started a business via a hotel. It was a long road, but he and his two partners finally opened the hotel's doors on December 1, 2019.
Nathan discusses some of the challenges presented last year by the COVID-19 pandemic and offers advice to us. He advises against taking on too overwhelming of a project as your very first entrepreneurial endeavor and to also destroy your fear with action. He, in addition, suggests that we should allow ourselves to be vulnerable and open with people in order to establish a sense of community and avoid the loneliness that sometimes comes with the territory of being an entrepreneur.
He additionally explains how he balances his work life with his personal life, recommends some podcasts, and even reveals what he considers his superpower to be! Please do reach out to Nathan via the methods that he provides, and I also really hope that you will continue to join me on the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on! Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:59] – Jackie introduces this episode's guest, Nathan Rodgers, and Nathan gives us some background information about himself.
[3:33] – We learn that Nathan decided to learn Spanish and randomly chose Nicaragua to do so.
[4:44] – Nathan reflects on how he has been in Nicaragua for seven years and has started a business via a hotel.
[7:22] – Nathan discusses the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic hitting last March posed for the hotel.
[9:55] – Nathan describes what his journey has been like over the last year.
[10:45] – Nathan explains that he grew up in a middle class family and grew up wanting to be an archaeologist like Indiana Jones.
[11:34] – We discover that Nathan has always loved to travel for as long as he can remember but that there hasn't been much else that consistent.
[13:39] – Nathan makes a connection between his aspirations when he was younger and what he is doing today.
[15:38] – Nathan offers two pieces of advice for anyone interested in starting a business, starting with not taking too big of a project as your first endeavor.
[18:05] – Nathan provides a second piece of advice – to destroy fear with action.
[21:04] – Nathan expounds upon the loneliness that is sometimes involved with entrepreneurial work, advising that being willing to be vulnerable and seeking out community are the best ways to combat it.
[23:06] – Nathan describes his history with serious depression.
[24:52] – Nathan delineates how he balances his work life with his personal life.
[28:00] – Nathan credits three different podcasts as helpful resources for him.
[30:30] – Nathan reveals what he would tell himself five years ago if he could to expect a more difficult journey than he had initially expected.
[31:19] – Nathan hopes to grow his business financially within the next couple of years.
[33:00] – We learn that Nathan considers his superpower to be an ability to make complicated ideas simpler so that people can understand them.
[35:15] – Nathan shares with us where we can reach out to him online.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
How I Built This with Guy Raz - Podcast
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
Tuesday Apr 06, 2021
Join me as I talk to Nto, of the company Busy Bumblebeees, about her business and how it got started, how she had been a content creator and manager at a restaurant but was laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how she got started as an entrepreneur via Upwork.
Nto also shares how when she was much younger she had dreams of having a regular, stable job as an accountant, taking part in social activities such as office parties, and how that ultimately resulted in what she does now. She went to college for business management which led to her following a path of independent entrepreneurship. She now provides virtual assisting and social media marketing to a wide range of clients.
As I often say, the road to entrepreneurship and even entrepreneurship itself can sometimes be lonely, so Nto not only talks about how she combats that loneliness and how being a fellow of Freed has helped her establish a sense of community as an entrepreneur, but she also offers some advice, such as familiarizing yourself with your target market and eliminating self-doubt to fight off imposter syndrome. She also details her daily schedule, shares what she would say to herself five years ago if she could, and even reveals what she considers her superpower to be!
I really hope that you will continue to join me on the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on! Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:57] – Jackie introduces this episode's guest, Nto of Busy Bumblebeees.
[1:42] – Nto gives some background information about herself, such as how she was a content creator and manager at a restaurant but was laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic so became an entrepreneur via Upwork.
[3:27] – We learn how Nto wanted to be an accountant when she was younger.
[5:00] – Nto offers us advice – knowing your target market and eliminating self-doubt.
[6:38] – Nto explains how she has handled the loneliness of entrepreneurship, such as by following virtual assistant pages on social media and being part of Freed.
[7:38] – We discover what Nto’s daily schedule looks like and how she balances her life and her work.
[9:34] – Nto credits a social media page that has inspired her and taught her to live a successful yet pleasurable life.
[10:48] – Nto shares that if she could talk to herself five years ago, she would tell herself to be consistent in everything that she does and to not be afraid.
[11:18] – Nto hopes that five years into the future her business will grow so that she’ll have a team.
[12:05] – We learn what Nto’s superpower is – her attention to detail.
[12:47] – Nto shares where we can find her online.
[13:05] – Nto explains where the name of her company, Busy Bumblebeees, comes from and why it's spelled the way that it is.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Imagine, if you have to, having a career that allows you to encapsulate pretty much all of your interests. Most of us aren't that lucky, right? Well, Deja Tyla, founder of Tyla's Writing Services, is that lucky! With a background in project management and information technology, Deja was able to marry her interests in writing and business management with her company, which helps businesses meet their business goals by offering them assistance with things like interview preparation, resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and so much more. Tyla's Writing Services also works with small businesses that are just getting started and might need those extra resources to get their names out there.
Deja shares her Freed story with us, sharing, for example, how she always saw herself as a leader and as someone who stood up for what was important to her, and with writing and business management being interests of hers, she founded Tyla's Writing Services. In addition to sharing her story with us, she is also kind enough to offer some advice. She suggests that it's very important that you're having fun and enjoying what you're doing or else you're just going to burn out, and she also stresses how crucial that it is to never stop being eager to learn even after you have finished your schooling and/or training. She also offers some advice to those who might be experiencing the often talked about loneliness that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship – encouraging us to surround ourselves with like-minded professionals who can be support systems for us.
Deja reflects a little bit on the past and also shares what she hopes to accomplish with her company in the future. She even explains what has driven her over the years and what has helped her through making the jump to entrepreneurship! Be sure to connect with Deja Tyla via the various methods that she mentions in the podcast, and as always, I really hope that you will continue to join me on the Freed Stories podcast as guests share their stories of entrepreneurship – their successes, their failures, their goals, their hopes, and so on! Be sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode!
Time Stamps
[0:58] – Jackie introduces this episode's guest, Deja Tyla.
[1:18] – Deja gives us a little bit of information about herself and what she does with her company, Tyla's Writing Services.
[2:27] – We learn what Deja hoped to be when she was younger and how she wanted to be a leader who stood up for what was important to her.
[3:09] – Deja offers a piece of advice for anyone who might be interested in following a similar career path – that it's important to enjoy what you do.
[3:26] – Deja provides us with a second piece of advice – to never stop being a student.
[4:13] – Deja asserts that she has had a lot of support on her journey and hasn't experienced entrepreneurial loneliness but offers advice to those who have experienced it or do experience it.
[4:55] – Deja admits that she works very hard sometimes and finds it difficult to find a balance between her work life and her personal life.
[5:49] – We discover that Deja considers her excitement to learn and educate herself as being the main thing that has helped her make the jump to entrepreneurship.
[6:38] – Deja reflects on her past self from 2015, stating that she would advise herself to accept all challenges happily if she had that opportunity.
[7:04] – Deja hopes that within five years, Tyla's Writing Services will have grown as a brand.
[8:06] – Deja shares with us where online we can reach out to her.
Links and Resources
Apply for our Freed Fellowship Monthly Grant
Free Training to Help You Grow Your Business
Tyla’s Writing Services - Instagram Page
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Tyla’s Writing Services - Twitter Page