I Make a Living

Latest Episodes:

How To Start a Start-Up- Seth Radman Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

Coming up with problems without immediately trying to fix them is a lot harder than you’d think. Our minds really are trained to find solutions. But, throughout this episode we focus the most on the beginning two steps—

Defining the problem
Confirming that it actually is a viable problem.

The biggest take away from this whole conversation is to start at the beginning, with the problem—and spend a lot of time there. The last thing you want to do is create a solution that no one wants or is willing to buy into. We also discover that starting a startup is not out of reach.
The steps that Seth gives us are actionable. While it will take a lot of hard work and diligence, you don’t necessarily need a big budget to start. You really just need a group of people who have a problem.

Guests

Seth Radman- Co-Founder at Crescendo | Tech Entrepreneur | Startup Advisor

Center Stage

Charla Ruschelle- CR Clothing Co.

“To be featured on Center Stage, send us a voice message!”

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the guests and production team and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of '2ndSite.INC dba FreshBooks, its employees or affiliates.'

Branding and Social Media- Beverley Cheng Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

Episode Guests
Beverley Cheng- Born To Sweat

Zoey Masters- Instagram

Jeremy Bailey- LinkedIn

Center Stage
Christopher Jones- SeeJonesWork

“To be featured on Center Stage, send us a voice message!”

Growing Your Business- Kristen Pumphrey May 20, 2019

Show notes

Every business starts somewhere before it's a well-oiled machine. Sometimes it's at your kitchen counter in-between your part-time jobs. The whole concept of growing your business means it was small at some point.

This season, we've seen that it takes a lot to start a business from the ground up. Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. It takes a lot of diligence and hard work to get any business off the ground. It's not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of ups, downs, failures, and successes. Sometimes, it's so important to hear what the journey has been like for others, especially, from those who are a little further along on the journey than we are. That's the reason for today's episode. The journey for any entrepreneur can be a complicated one, but, we learn from the growing pains that we encounter. And, hopefully, they make us better business owners.

The growing pains of building your business are real. Determination is one of the main themes that we recognize in Kristen's story. She sacrificed a lot to get the company off the ground— time, money, comfort. But, to her, the business was worth it. And, it's paid off so far. Being your own boss takes determination and grit. Kristen is an excellent example of who will make it in this competitive world of entrepreneurship,someone who is smart and eager to learn. If you're willing to learn, sacrifice, and put in the hard work, then that might be you too. Knowing the road is going to be rough can be discouraging. But, try taking a page from Kristen's book. Let the challenge be what fuels your determination to keep moving forward.

Episode Guests
Kristen Pumphrey- PF Candle CO.

Center Stage
Torin Regier- Keg Shoe

“To be featured on Center Stage, send us a voice message

Developing Your Business May 06, 2019

Show notes

For a while now, we have been planning an episode on diversifying your business. We wanted to document the story of an individual who had just started their business and what it looked like to establish diversification in the initial steps of development. But, the story we ended up capturing was much more specific; someone who was forced to diversify due to external issues out of their control. So, we briefly discuss the general idea of diversification and offer a few tips on starting your business but the meat of this episode is really on: pivoting. Having an idea, a set plan for your business and finding out it's not going to work for some reason or another.

So, back to the story of us choosing someone from the IMAL event. We didn’t know how it was going to go but the whole process in finding this one person to feature sounded fascinating and definitely worth recording.

Episode Guests

RM Harrison- our business coach for this episode. RM is a career and business coach based in Austin, TX. She has helped a lot of people "snap out of frustration and burnout and get them fired up again about the work they do." To learn more or get in touch with RM here.

Meesha Farzaneh
Thank you to Meesha for sharing her story with us and being part of this experiment. To find more information about her business go to her website here.

Center Stage
Thanks to Juan Bendana for submitting his story! If you want to learn more about this incredible entrepreneur, visit his website here: https://www.juanbendana.com/. To be featured on center stage, send us a voice message!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the guests and production team and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 2ndSite.INC dba FreshBooks, its employees or affiliates.

Work-Life Balance Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

Productivity is important as an entrepreneur but so is the balance between your personal life and your work life. If you’re not careful you can easily burn yourself out, harm personal relationships, and actually become less productive because you’re not giving yourself the space to rejuvenate—which is often times why people are most productive. It’s a balance. The Western world is in a bit of an epidemic these days. Some of the leading organizations in today’s world give their employees unlimited PAID time off. Which sounds absolutely crazy…but, according to the research done by Sage Business Researcher, many people in these businesses are taking even less vacation time. And, those who do have a standard amount of paid time off, aren’t using it all. According to a 2017 report done by the US Travel Association, there are 705 million unused vacation days annually. Taking time off is essential in balancing work and life.
And, if these employees find it difficult taking paid time off how much harder would it be for entrepreneurs who aren’t getting paid for their vacation time?

Our featured guests Lisa Canning and Espree Devora share with us their insights, motivations and tips and tricks to accomplish a more balanced work routine so they can have more time for life.

Our Guests Links

Lisa Canning's website and book page:
https://lisacanning.ca/my-book2/

Espree Devora's podcasts:
http://podcast.womenintechshow.com/

http://podcast.wearelatech.com/

**Resources: **

Work-Life Balance research studies
https://www.ustravel.org/research/state-american-vacation-2018

https://www.ted.com/topics/work-life+balance

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/01/25/entrepreneurs-need-to-pay-more-attention-to-work-life-balance-heres-how/#47780ded46b3

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/311414

https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/IJBS/article/view/521/pdf

http://businessresearcher.sagepub.com/sbr-1863-102641-2779724/20170508/short-article-more-companies-offering-unlimited-time-off

Taxes! Apr 08, 2019

Show notes

Episode 05“It’s all about the money....and taxes.”

Today’s episode is about one of the most dreaded yet necessary pains every entrepreneur has to endure...tax season. No matter how big or small your business is, taxes are always going to be somewhat complicated, confusing and could create a lot of troubles if not dealt with appropriately. We are here to help!

Our featured guest, Paco de Leon is a self-proclaimed ‘money nerd,’ she founded “The Hell Yeah Group” to help small creative entrepreneurs better manage their finances. Paco shares valuable advice and tips on how to organize your finances, so you are always in control of them and not them in control of you.

As we were developing this episode, we realized that Darbi was not exempt from the familiar “wait till the very last minute” attitude that a lot of freelancers or new business owners have when it comes to taxes, so we decided to document her journey into filing taxes as an entrepreneur. For that, we invited Chicago based accountant Yolanda O’Neal, to sit down and help Darbi figure out her tax situation for 2018.

As you will hear from both Paco and Yolanda, taxes are indeed complicated, the tax code is confusing and its always changing but they both agree that it is not your job to keep up with it, that is what your accountant is for. Accountants are a vital role in every small business owner and a solid piece of advice...find a good one!

Your job is to stay on top of your daily transactions, your bookkeeping, your invoices, expenses, and other day-to-day operations. Doing that in an organized and consistent form will alleviate a lot of the pain and paperwork when tax season arrives.

We genuinely hope this episode is helpful and you find some tips on how to better manage your finances so that future tax seasons are as painless as possible.

Happy Tax Season!

Guests Paco de Leon- The Hell Yeah GroupYolanda O’Neal- O’Neal Consulting

Being a Female Entrepreneur PT. 2 Mar 25, 2019

Show notes

Episode 04 "Being a Female Entrepreneur PT. 2"

Welcome to the second episode of our 2-part series in honor of “Women’s History Month.” On this episode, we explore the role of equity in the female entrepreneurial world. We hear from 2 female business owners who share their experiences and journies to success.

Equality. This is the conversation we’re having during women’s history month. However, to give this topic justice, we need also to consider what part equity plays. Equity is the varying levels of support need to obtain true equality for people from different backgrounds.

Based on how you self-identify, the amount of equity needed to accomplish equality may vary. In our last episode, we covered a pretty broad view of what it’s like to be a woman in the entrepreneurial world. However, what we didn’t include is how the experience can vary from person to person.

Join us as we listen to the stories behind two successful female business founders: Kweighbaye Kotee and Laura Laban. They share their experiences honestly and openly, and the role their particular intersections had on their path to becoming successful entrepreneurs.

To close off this series, we are excited to include award-winning poet, writer, and activist Staceyann Chin’s, "Equality Now"; a spoken word piece she wrote for the National Equality March in 2009.

Episode Guests

Kweighbaye Kotee- Founder and CEO of the Bushwick Film Festivalhttps://www.bushwickfilmfestival.com

Laura Laban- Co-Founder and CEO of Infinite Flight LLChttps://infiniteflight.com/

Citations and Resources

Kimberle Crenshaw’s TED Talk on Intersectionality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOe5-UsQ2o

Equality and Equity- Context and Differencehttps://www.ywcalgary.ca/news/equity-v-s-equality-whats-difference/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2017/09/14/why-we-need-gender-equity-now/#74eff0577a24

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the guests and production team and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of '2ndSite.INC dba FreshBooks, its employees or affiliates.'

Being a Female Entrepreneur PT. 1 Mar 11, 2019

Show notes

Episode 03- "Being a Female Entrepreneur PT1"

Welcome to a special 2-part series in honour of Women's History Month. We take a look at the entrepreneurship world from a female perspective.

Being a woman in the small business world isn’t easy. Even if you don’t self-identify as a woman, because of recent media movements, you can probably gather that it’s not exactly a walk in the park for females. There’s been a shift, on a large scale, in society recently. The #metoo and #timesup movements have brought some incredible awareness to the issues of inequality through mass media. It’s no longer taboo to discuss experiences. There is a power behind the voices that speak up. But, these developments are relatively new when you think about it.

How is the gender gap being addressed and how can women learn to negotiate equal pay in the freelancing world. We also look at the role of men in the fight for a more equalitarian and inclusive society.

**Episode Guests**

Rubina Shaikh

Thanks to Rubina Shaikh for sharing her experience as a female entrepreneur and freelancer. To learn more about Rubina go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubinashaikh/

Kathlyn Hart

Thanks to Kathlyn for a genuinely insightful conversation on how women can build confidence and negotiate equal pay in the freelancing and entrepreneurship world. To hear more about Kathlyn, her coaching services and all the fantastic work she does, check out her Podcast: "The Kathlyn Hart Show."

http://www.kathlynhart.com/podcast/

Rachel Wynn

Thank you to Rachel for her insights on feminism and the role of men in the fight for equality. Rachel is a "self-proclaimed feminist" who leads The Feminist Founder group. To learn more and join the ongoing conversations go to https://www.feministfounder.com/

Rachel is also the CEO of Starlight Social. If you need Social Media management for your site or business, go to https://www.starlightsocial.com/

** Episode Citations**

Here are the links to some of the citations we had and resources on feminism, gender gap and women's rights.

1) CBS and Refinery 29 poll on feminism amongst Millenials https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/midterm-election-women-dont-identify-as-feminists

2) the #metoo Movement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement

3) Time'sUp Movement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time%27s_Up_(movement)

4) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/1918-vs-2018-13-things-women-couldnt-do-100-years-ago/

5) https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/rights-women-have-gained-since-earning-the-right-to-vote_us_57e9ed33e4b0c2407cd93434

6) https://www.freshbooks.com/press/data-research/women-in-the-workforce-2018

Center Stage

Thanks to Martha McCallum for submitting her story! If you want to learn more about this incredible entrepreneur go to https://marthashelihikes.com/

If you want to apply to be featured on Center Stage go to www.freshbooks.com/podcast

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the guests and production team and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of 2ndSite.INC dba FreshBooks, its employees or affiliates.

How I Work- Productivity and Workspace Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

The average entrepreneur works over 60 hours a week. That’s 20 plus hours more than the traditional 9-5er. Are you using your time wisely? Explore how other self-employed folks choose to approach their productivity. Hal Elrod, best-selling author of the Miracle Morning book shares with us why morning routines can boost your productivity throughout the day. Hal is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to morning routines and jumpstarting your day in the best way possible. If you want to read one of his books and/or find out more about Hal go to: https://halelrod.com/".

We also talk to 3 different entrepreneurs who work from different places: home, coffee shops and co-working spaces. What is the difference? What are the pros and cons of each of them? Join us as we take a deep look at how the space surrounding you can help you become a more productive individual.

** Center Stage**

Thank you Michael Der for sharing your center stage story. To find more about Michael go to, https://www.michaelderphotography.com/]( https://www.michaelderphotography.com/) To be featured on center stage go to: [www.freshbooks.com/podcast](www.freshbooks.com/podcast)

Episode 2—Citations

1. What & What Not to Avoid. #7 Productivity Hacks for Entrepreneurs href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/323404">https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/323404</p> <p>

8 Essential Productivity Tips for the Busy Entrepreneur

https://www.inc.com/john-discala/8-essential-productivity-tips-for-busy-entrepreneur.html
Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/665048?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste. -Henry Ford

brainyquote.com
Entrepreneurs work over 60+ hours a week (infographic)

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/285079

Our next episode will be a very special episode in honor of International Women's Day! Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as they become available.

A New World of Work Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

Episode 01- Present and Future of Entrepreneurship

Why are people turning to self-employment in the current economy?

Alex, a freelancer who thought jumping ship and starting her journey would be a lot simpler than it turned out to be. A whole new set of challenges arise once someone decides to venture into entrepreneurship and a lot of times, those challenges are not-so-common knowledge.

We talk to some FreshBooks folks who share some interesting numbers and data on the present and future of entrepreneurship.

All these experiences, insights and pain points collectively motivated us to create this podcast, and they set the tone to all the incredible conversations we are about to share with you.

Welcome to #imakealiving!

Thanks to Alex Rathbun for sharing her experiences in such an honest and vulnerable form. For more on her go to https://www.brightlyalex.com/

Thanks to Carly Moulton and Dave Crosgrave from FreshBooks for sharing their data and reports insights with us. To find more about the Annual Reports FreshBooks publishes on self-employment go to https://www.freshbooks.com/press/data-research

Center Stage Each episode, we will devout the last few minutes to highlight entrepreneurs and freelancers from our audience who are doing great and/or unique things out there.

For our inaugural Center Stage, meet voice-over actress Debbie Irwin AKA "The voice of the Statue of Liberty" amongst others.

To learn more about Debbie go to: https://www.debbieirwin.com/

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