Finding a Niche, Remaining Debt-Free: How Kari Miller Built Tiny Dog Press
We Built This Life
Episode 35 with Kari Miller of Tiny Dog Press is about growing a small business at your own pace, and more. When a friend asked Kari Miller to print his wedding invitations, she saw that his fiancé at the time had created an illustration of Baltimore’s “Greatest City in America” bench for their RSVP card. Kari thought the image would make a great card, and this was the beginning of Tiny Dog Press. In this episode, Kari talks about: · How she discovered her niche in cards even though she doesn’t consider herself a “word person”; ...
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From Family Recipe to Small Business: How Tiera Chin Built Yorktown Spice
We Built This Life
Episode 34 with Tiera Chin of Yorktown Spice is about when a family recipe inspires a small business. In 2021, Tiera Chin was working full-time in the healthcare industry while raising two little daughters, the youngest of which was 4 months old at the time. This is also when she launched her new small business, Yorktown Spice, featuring her crab sauce that was inspired by family recipes. In this episode, Tiera talks about: · The actual steps she took to get her food product-based business off the ground, from food safety and thinking about how to make...
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From Hobby Podcast to Small Business: How Erin Scott Built the Believe in Dog Podcast and Erin Scott Podcasts
We Built This Life
Episode 33 with Erin Scott from the Believe in Dog podcast and Erin Scott Podcasts is about when a hobby leads to a small business. In 2019, Erin became a cancer survivor and decided to start saying yes to the ideas that excited her. She started the Believe in Dog podcast to tell heartfelt stories about the powerful connections between people and their dogs. Believe in Dog is now a top 5 podcast globally, and Erin went on to co-host a second show, The Alternative Dog Moms podcast. Now, Erin is focused on leveraging the skills she’s learned as a podcaster into a small business, Erin Scott...
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Mental Challenges & Triumphs in Entrepreneurship: How Rebekah Murray Built Dare & Co.
We Built This Life
Episode 32 of We Built This Life with Rebekah Murray from Dare & Co. is about mental challenges in entrepreneurship—and the rewards that come with getting through them. In 2014, Rebekah Murray, an entrepreneur throughout her adult life, was looking to transition from international wedding photography to something new. Her parents suggested she start a clothing line. Three years later, Rebekah launched Virginia Dare Dress Co. with a line of timeless, high-quality women’s dresses. In 2020, she added heartfelt gift boxes to her offerings. And today (May 18th, 2023), she unveiled her...
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From Educator to CEO: How Ashley Williams Built Clymb
We Built This Life
Episode 31 of the We Built This Life podcast with Ashley Williams from Clymb (@clymb_up) is about persistence and mindfulness and how these two skills were assets as Ashley built her own company. In 2018, Ashley Williams, a former educator and school leader in Baltimore City, founded Clymb (then known as Infinite Focus Schools), her company that produces emotional health software for school-aged children. In this episode, Ashley talks about: · The steps she took and resources she used to build Clymb from an idea to a thriving small business; ...
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6 Small Businesses to Support for Earth Day 2023
We Built This Life
Welcome to Episode 30 of the We Built This Life podcast! I’m your host, Jennifer Walker, and I’m talking this week about six small businesses that make low waste or sustainable products and that you can support for Earth Day 2023. I’ll share my favorite products from these businesses or the products I am hoping to try in the categories of personal care, reusable items, cleaning, clothing, and planners. You can also check out the We Built This Life podcast archive for more ideas. Thank you so much for listening! 6 Small Businesses to Support this Earth Day: ...
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How Mandy Memmel Built The Well and Hon's Honey
We Built This Life
Episode 29 of We Built This Life with Mandy Memmel of Hon’s Honey is about building relationships and community and helping women rise through social enterprise. After spending a decade serving the community of Curtis Bay in Baltimore, Mandy Memmel founded Drink at the Well (The Well) to provide an opportunity to build relationships, as well as a range of support services, for women experiencing trauma, including addiction, abuse, and/or generational poverty. Five years later, Mandy took the next step for her nonprofit and opened Hon’s Honey, a social enterprise business. Hon’s...
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How Emma Reisinger Built Yellow House Farm
We Built This Life
Episode 28 with Emma Reisinger of Yellow House Farm is about finding your place in the industry that interests you, even if the road is slightly winding to get there. Since 2017, Emma has owned Yellow House Farm, her small business that started as a tiny farm and CSA outside of her yellow house in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood. Today, the business has evolved to focus on ecological gardening and landscaping. In this episode, Emma talks about: How she found her place within agriculture and built Yellow House Farm while working as a line cook (which she describes as essentially working one...
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How Kate Christian Built Bliss Woodworks
We Built This Life
Episode 27 is a small business story about saying yes to opportunities and having the courage to follow new paths. After moving to Baltimore in 2014, Kate Christian—who had worked as a business analyst, a boat captain, and as chief operating officer for a company that made at-home STD tests—got a gift certificate to the Station North Tool Library from her wife. She took a cutting board class, fell in love with working with wood, and ultimately found a new career path. Today, Kate owns Bliss Woodworks, which specializes in custom woodworking projects and furniture like vanities,...
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2022 Small Business Holiday Gift Guide
We Built This Life
Welcome to Episode 26! For this episode, I'll talk you through a fun holiday gift guide highlighting 10 small businesses in a few categories: jewelry, planners and stickers, skincare/body care, photos and related products, wood creations, clothes for kids and adults, gift boxes, and, briefly, home goods. For the most part, I’ve either already purchased amazing products from these businesses or I plan to this month. You can also check out the We Built This Life podcast archive for more ideas. Thank you so much listening! Mentioned in this Episode: (the...
info_outlineThe We Built This Life podcast has been around for one year! (Plus a few months, but that's a small detail...) When I started this podcast in May 2019, my goal was to complete 10 episodes. And in May 2020 I reached that goal. I’m calling this collection of episodes “Season 1” this, Episode 11, celebrates the 10 stories told so far. The first six lessons come from the amazing guests who have been on this show, and the next four lessons come from my own experience starting something new (and even though this new thing for me is podcasting, I think the lessons could apply to anyone starting something new, whether it be a business, program, or something else entirely). If you’ve never listened to We Built This Life before, this episode can also serve as a brief summary of sorts of the first season.
Lessons From This Episode:
- It’s okay to pivot your career (and pivot it back again).
- Be honest with yourself about how you feel about money and what it means to you so you can set goals accordingly.
- Trust your intuition.
- You can build a business with kids at home.
- You also can build a business with limited time (even though the progress might be slower.)
- When you hit roadblocks in your business, try making a little tweak and things might fall into place.
- Get more mileage out of work you’ve already done.
- Know yourself and design your business around that.
- Don’t take anything too personally.
- Set goals for your season of life.
Guests Who Have Been on the Show:
- Episode 2 – Ryan Sullivan, Realtor with ExecuHome Realty
- Episode 3 – Mercedes Lyson, Beauty Journalist at L’Amour et la Musique and Podcast Host at Your Purpose is Beauty. Patreon, YouTube, Instagram.
- Episode 4 – Ashley Shelly Trotier from Ashley Shelly, which sells stationery products like planners and notebooks. Instagram.
- Episode 5 – Emily Silverstein from Urban Oreganics. Instagram.
- Episode 6 – Acyuta-bhava (Adam Elenbaas) from Nightlight Astrology. @nightlightastrology on Instagram. Ashley Litecky Elenbaas of Sky House Herb School. @skyhouseherbs on Instagram.
- Episode 7 – Amy Homan of Evolverie, a sustainable and ethical clothing company. Instagram.
- Episode 9 – Kenneth Yee, Abstract Artist.
- Episode 10 – Ashleigh Becker of Sela Designs, a nonprofit jewelry company. Instagram.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or listen on my NEW website (where you can sign up for my new newsletter), follow on Instagram (where I am most active), like on Facebook, or email [email protected]!