Joe Zentmyer is the co-founder and CFO at First Ascent Climbing &amp; Fitness.&nbsp; On this episode of Small Business Edge, Joe shares how the climbing community in Chicago was in need of a climbing gym for 20 years, and the founders of First Ascent were the first who were to do it successfully.&nbsp; Joe shares what sets First Ascent apart from other climbing gyms, and how they have successfully grown the business to multiple locations.&nbsp; Like any entrepreneur, Joe doesn't have a "standard" workday. He talks about what his typical week looks like, how he spends his weekends, and the importance of having his own fitness routine in his life.&nbsp; Discussed in this episode:  How First Ascent was able to successfully fill a need in Chicago Finding a good location for a business can really impact success The importance of knowing who is in your community and catering your offerings to them The workflow as the CFO at First Ascent - what the weeks and weekends look like How to balance personal care with work&nbsp; Failures, challenges, and what it’s really like to found a startup Advice for following your passion  Learn more about Ceterus at Ceterus.com

S2 E6 - Meeting a Community Need Successfully with Joe Zentmyer of First Ascent Climbing & Fitness

Jeremy Bollington is a multi-franchise partner and area representative for Blo Blow Dry Bar and Waxing the City, based out of Charleston, South Carolina. Before Blo, Jeremy spent 25+ years as a banker in cities around the world like London, Hong Kong and New York. He has built big and successful teams over the last 10 years at two different institutions, but in 2015, he decided it was time to explore something different. Today, we discuss Jeremy’s journey of entrepreneurship and franchise ownership. We also talk about the failures and insights that Jeremy accrued along the way, the do’s and don’ts of marketing, the importance of hiring great people, and more. If you are considering entering into the franchise world or you want to level up your game, don’t miss this episode! Discussed in this Episode:  What it has been like to grow a career while living and working around the world Why Jeremy decided to become a Blo franchise owner What Blo is and what they offer What Waxing the City is and what they offer What Jeremy’s average day looks like How Jeremy has built a great team of people that can support him The danger of complacency and how to refocus Marketing do’s and don’ts for entrepreneurs and franchise owners Jeremy’s advice for new entrepreneurs  Learn more about Ceterus at Ceterus.com.

Getting a New Franchise Concept Off the Ground with Jeremy Bollington from Blo Dry Bar & Waxing the City

Jane Banheman is the owner and founder of Blue Nectar Yoga in Falls Church, Virginia. Jane has been practicing and teaching yoga for nearly two decades, and after working for many different organizations around the world, she decided to combine everything that she had learned to open her own studio. The yoga industry is incredibly saturated and being in the Northern Virginia / DC area, it’s important to have a specific niche, avatar, and something that sets you apart from the competition. On this episode, Jane shares what makes Blue Nectar Yoga unique, how to run a successful business in a saturated industry, how she prioritizes self-care in her life, and much more. Discussed in this episode:  Why it’s important to love what you do everyday, and why work doesn’t have to be something that we hate &nbsp; How Jane got into yoga and what inspired her to open Blue Nectar Yoga The challenges of the yoga industry and being a small business owner in a saturated market &nbsp; The transition from yoga teacher to yoga studio owner and what Jane learned through that process How your competition can make you great Why it’s important to get clear on your mission, who you’re trying to serve, and what you’re trying to achieve What sets Blue Nectar apart from other yoga studios Why self-care is key for success as a business owner  Learn more about Ceterus at Ceterus.com.

S2 E8 - Owning a Successful Yoga Studio with Jane Bahneman of Blue Nectar Yoga

Amanda Kingsmith is a Praxis Advisor, a yoga studio manager, a yoga teacher, a yoga business coach, a podcast host, and a world traveler. After transitioning from the corporate world into teaching yoga, Amanda experienced that the rates for yoga classes were high, yet yoga teachers were consistently not making a sustainable income. She recognized that the business acumen in the yoga world wasn’t there, and decided to bridge that gap with her podcast on the business of yoga, M.B.Om. On this episode, Amanda and T.K. talk about the business of yoga, as well as dive into Amanda’s workflow, how she manages a number of different jobs at once, and is able to balance working with traveling the world. Amanda shares the resources that have helped her most to set up a productive workday, and tips for anyone who wants to dive into remote entrepreneurship. Discussed in this episode:  How Amanda got into the yoga industry and began to learn about the business side of yoga How to go from a part-time yoga teacher to a full-time yoga teacher Shifting the mindset of asking for yoga for free and when it’s appropriate to work for free How Amanda organizes her schedule The importance of self-care as an entrepreneur How Amanda balances travel with work When you want to dive into entrepreneurship, make sure that you love what you’re doing because it’s going to be hard  Learn more about Ceterus at Ceterus.com.

S2 E9 - The Business of Yoga with Amanda Kingsmith from M.B.Om

Steve Eddleston is an immigrant from New Zealand. After a successful career in Customer Support for High Tech, he now owns and operates a New England territory for Planet Fitness - the leading general fitness health club chain in the USA. He owns 15 location throughout the New England area. On this episode of Small Business Edge, Steve not only shares a lot of practical wisdom about how to get started in the franchising world, and how to navigate a lot of the challenges that come up along the way, but Steve has a unique ability of humour and storytelling to not only cope with challenges and inspire others. If you’re someone who is looking to start a small business or get started in the franchising world, what you’ll from Steve is that you don’t have to know all the answers to all the questions about how things are going to be okay in order to know that they’ll be okay, and that you have the power to make it so. Discussed on this episode:  Why Steve left tech to run his own business The reactions from his friends and family when he decided he wanted to open a gym Why Planet Fitness was a good investment How Steve went from owning 1 Planet Fitness to 15 in the New England area Every franchise location is a completely different business even when it’s a part of the same company What Steve learned about selling businesses and how to determine when it’s the right time to sell  Learn more about Ceterus at Ceterus.com.

From High Tech to Fitness Franchising with Steve Eddleston

Small Business Edge by Ceterus gives insight, inspiration, and advice for small business entrepreneurs from experts who have done it first hand. 

Entrepreneurship is more popular than ever before, but in the hype around startups and solopreneurs, the silent majority of entrepreneurs are ignored.

T.K. Coleman brings you the stories of these entrepreneurs. The small and medium-sized business entrepreneurs who account for the vast majority of U.S. businesses and employment. 

From restaurant to franchise owners, from main street business to long-time consultants, you will hear the marketing, accounting, business and life lessons learned from decades of real small business experience. 

New weekly episodes with experienced entrepreneurs will teach you what it takes to make it as a successful small business or franchise entrepreneur in the 21st century.

Small Business Edge

Popular tracks