I Make a Living

Latest Episodes:

Behind The Scenes with Bryan Baeumler Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

FreshBooks is proud to be a Baeumler Approved partner. Check out their website to learn more about joining the program or finding your next contractor through them!

Bryan doesn't believe he's put in an honest day's work unless he gets his hands dirty! A natural-born teacher, the Gemini-award winning host has been educating and entertaining viewers across Canada and the US for over seven years on the hit shows House of Bryan, Disaster DIY, and Leave it to Bryan.

Learning valuable tricks of the trade from his father, a meticulous aircraft engineer, Bryan spent his childhood summers building his family's cottage from the ground up. His entrepreneurial spirit emerged at the age of 14 when he opened his own handyman business doing odd jobs for neighbors.

After earning a dual degree in Political Science and Business, Bryan was headed towards a career of practicing law. Realizing he'd rather be renovating than be chained to a desk, his innate passion for building took over and he traded in his tie for a tool belt and founded his contracting company Baeumler Quality Construction. Bryan has now built the 'Baeumler Brand' to include Baeumler Construction, Baeumler Approved, Baeumler Productions, Baeumler Media, and the newly launched Baeumler Family Foundation for Kids. Each and every one of his companies prides itself on professionalism, respect, and quality workmanship. A few years and several hit TV seasons later, Bryan's tackling even more projects than ever - and loving every moment of it!

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Our Guest- Bryan Baeumler

Oh and remember, if you are planning your next getaway, consider visiting Bryan's newest project, Caerula Mar in the Bahamas. In a world of endless stimulation, Caerula Mar Club is a hideaway; grounded by the island’s rhythm. Visit www.caerulamar.com to make your escape!

Accounting Secrets and Strategic Planning- Twyla Verhelst Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

When times get tough (like, say, most of 2020), it can be easy to dismiss an accountant or a bookkeeper as a business frill. Let Twyla Verhelst change your mind. She’s the Head of FreshBooks’s Accountant Channel, and while she’s got a numbers background, her greatest strength is bridging the gap between small business owners and the accounting professionals who work with them. She’s a former start-up founder and one of Practice Ignition’s 2018 Top 50 Women in Accounting, and she’s “an entrepreneur at heart.”

Only half of all small businesses use accounting professionals, but they’re now more efficient and affordable than ever before. Today, Twyla talks to us about some of their lesser-known benefits, like helping you craft a powerful 90-day forecast, and finding efficiencies when you feel squeezed. We also talk about why your relationship with your accountant should be great (not just good): you should feel like your business would flop without your accounting professionals.

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Fearless Networking and Tips on Working Better Together - Stefanie and Kalani Hubbard Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

Join us on October 27th for 'From Firm to Fintech: A Candid Conversation with Twyla Verhelst, FreshBooks & Will Lopez, Gusto' a webinar brought to you by FreshBooks! click HERE to Register!

“We’re better together, and we go further together.” This is Kalani Hubbard talking about one of the perks of working with his wife Stefanie at their video production company Galaxy Visuals. Together, Kalani and Stefanie have worked on projects ranging from commercials to training videos; their most recent win was developing View and Chew, their own series with Amazon Prime.

On this week's episode, we talk to the Hubbards about how they merge their work-life with their marriage, how Stefanie's former role as a hairstylist still serves her when she's making media and the power of Google Hangouts. We also go high-level: why a big vision doesn't always need a big budget, and how optimism can sometimes mean asking yourself the right questions: how can I make that happen?

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Guest- Stefanie and Kalani Hubbard

Galaxy Visuals

SEO Insights, Business Wisdom and Bolognese!- Rand Fishkin Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

“Your job is to make good decisions. Hopefully great decisions!” Rand Fishkin is one of the best SEO resources currently working: from his early days at Moz to the market research and audience intelligence firm SparkToro, to his popular Whiteboard Friday series, Fishkin knows how to max out marketing. These days, he's putting his considerable energy into helping small businesses thrive, and helping founders avoid the endless IPO chase.

Fishkin started as a college dropout who went into business with his mom. From these unconventional roots, he's grown into an SEO expert who has kept on top of the shifting trends and best practices. He shares with us how thoughtful market research helps boost small businesses, how un-creepy audience tracking really is, and how a bowl of bolognese helped him bounce back from losing a $13M deal.

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

GUEST-

Rand Fishkin- Website

Chasing Creativity with Farah Sosa and Fred Villanueva Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

We’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Farah Sosa and Fred Villanueva, a pair of artists and entrepreneurs who combine their creative passions with a social mission and culturally-driven values. As Sosa, a concert photographer in the midst of a COVID pivot, explains: “I like humans from all over the planet.” Sosa's recent project, portraits of music venues that have been shuttered during COVID, explores the vital energy of live performance spaces.

Villaneuva takes a complementary approach to Ash Studio in Dallas, where his work has gradually shifted from corporate gigs to community-based projects. “I look at being an artist in this world as an area that’s full of opportunities.” He's also working towards improved equity and representation in the art world. We talk to Sosa and Villanueva about why their communities are one of their biggest business assets, why cultural representation matters, and how to take a practical approach to admin work and self-care.

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Guests-

Farah Sosa- Farah Stop Website

Fred Villanueva - Ash Studios Website

Passion and Success with Mimi G. Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

Mimi G doesn't have a typical success story, but you'd never know it from her four million social media followers or her million-dollar businesses (she has two of them!). Mimi is a former teen runaway and homeless single mom who turned her childhood interest in sewing into a thriving website, consulting business, and online learning hub. With Mimi G Style and Sew It! Academy, Mimi supports sewists of all levels in following their own design dreams.

In this week's episode, Mimi tells us about how an unshakeable sadness helped her realize her days in film and TV were behind her, and why she still schedules time for her hobbies—including sewing—despite being immersed in the business of it all day. We also talk about her Puerto Rican family's influence on her entrepreneurship, how she keeps tight relationships in business and life, and how offering a free service helped boost her income. Though her path to success might be full of unexpected loops, Mimi says, “it gave me a view of what I needed to do.”

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Guest-
Mimi G.- Website

DIY Mask Video-LINK

Sew It Academy- Link

Working Together Against Racism- Antionette D. Carroll Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

“At the root of our work is education, civic engagement, youth leadership, and wrapping it up with a bow of creative problem-solving.” This is how Antionette D. Carroll explains her work on the Creative Reaction Lab, a nonprofit that trains Black and Latinx youth to redesign their own communities for better health and racial equity. We sit down with her to talk about Black Lives Matter, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and white supremacy, and how it all relates to entrepreneurship in 2020.

Carroll gives us the background on what white supremacy actually is (and why you don't have to be white to perpetuate it), and why companies need to start paying for DEI work in their organizations. We also talk about code-switching, the importance of lived experience, and what makes a good ally. This episode is for all our listeners: we want to unpack the assumptions we make in business and in daily life to help create a more equitable society. As Carroll says, "I am continuing to learn and unlearn, and my discomfort is a good thing."

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Guest- Antionette D. Carroll- https://www.antionettecarroll.design/

Planning for Growth- Nicole Gibbons Sep 21, 2020

Show notes

Nicole Gibbons wants to change how we make our homes beautiful. “My aspiration was to be the next Martha Stewart,” she says, and she's on her way. The former PR rep has leveraged years of networking, blogging, media experience, and PR savvy to launch Clare, a direct-to-consumer business selling interior paint.

In this week's episode, Gibbons gives us behind-the-scenes access to how she landed an on-air hosting gig soon after leaving her day job (hint: it involves a lot of networking!), and how she used that opportunity to get VC funding and launch Clare as a brand. We also talk about the unexpected visibility of being a Black entrepreneur in 2020, how the pandemic enabled online shopping for unexpected products, and why networking and creating relationships really is that important. Clare is now taking aim on an industry dominated by legacy brands with nine-digit valuations, and Gibbons feels prepared. “A lot of time was put in before it was actually successful,” and she's now ready to go global.

Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Authentic Entrepreneurship-Jack Phan Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

Welcome back to season three of I Make A Living! We're so excited to bring you another round of inspiring entrepreneurs and kick-butt creatives to help you figure out your path in this new normal. We're starting off with Jack Phan: investor, founder, advisor, and unexpected K-Pop influencer.
Phan got his start in medical school, but a detour into telemarketing (that was supposed just for beer money) ended launching a whole new way of marketing home improvements. Phan now mentors entrepreneurs to "find the why" behind what they're working towards. "Look for new ways of doing old things," he advises. For Phan, that includes using his million-follower Twitter account to facilitate meaningful one-on-one connections, and jumping into conversations about tech, AI, and yes, K-Pop. Phan also gives us insight into how the start-up community can—and should—be giving back. His newest project is Dollar For, a foundation that aims to relieve medical debt in the United States. We also talk about the connection between Gen X and Gen Z, what the "former introvert" misses about conferences, and who in his family is a former spy.
Join the conversation on Facebook in our #imakealiving group, where you can chat about challenges, find resources for success, and stay connected with other entrepreneurs!

Season 3- Trailer Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

In season 3, we are moving past survival mode and onto the future; a better and stronger business on the other side of a global pandemic. Each week you can listen to some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs guide you through the small business solutions of today.

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