Making It In Asheville

In this episode, we share a single sound bite from each Season 3 podcast episode, as well as a brief commentary on each episode and why we think it’s meaningful. At the end of every podcast season, we like to go back and recap all the episodes. We find that doing this can help you decide which episodes you want to listen to next. Think of it as a “sampler” episode! We hit a lot of important milest...

In this episode, we share three strange teachings that are helping us stay positive and take action during COVID-19. We realize that there are a lot of people out there experiencing some kind of suffering, loss, or pain during this pandemic. It may be financial, physical, or even mental. As a way of supporting and loving this community, we want to take a moment to share with you three important ph...

In this episode, we sit down with online marketing expert, Tyler J. McCall to discuss new ways you and your business can utilize online marketing strategies throughout the COVID-19 quarantine. Whether you’re a purely online company or a brick and mortar store that relies on foot traffic, you’re likely thinking about what’s going to happen to your business over the next coming weeks and months. We...

In this episode, we interview Clint Spiegel, founder of Industry Nine. When we met clint for the podcast interview, we began by taking a tour of his 70,000 square feet factory. There are big machines and lots of metal parts everywhere you look. In between each machine, there are a handful of employees wearing protective face gear, working away to keep the parts moving through the system. The floor...

In this episode, we interview Nicole McConville, an Asheville-based photographer and artist. She specializes in portrait, food, fashion, and product photography while also focusing on themes of visual storytelling and connection. Throughout this podcast interview, Nicole shares with us her background and her personal making it in Asheville’s story. Although today Nicole is considered one of the to...

In this episode, we interview change agent and re-entry expert, Philip Cooper. Philip is the coordinator of a non-profit program called Up Skill WNC, where he helps citizens who have recently been released from prison to reenter the workforce and find their voice in the world again. Philip also does group facilitation and motivational speeches through his consultancy, Change Agent Cooper. During t...

In this episode, we interview Kyle Brown, the founder of Clawhammer Supply. Clawhammer manufactures and sells home brewing and home distilling equipment online, directly to consumers. The idea for Clawhammer was born out of Kyle’s own curiosity and love of “tinkering.” He has always loved building things from scratch and learning the inner workings of how seemingly complex processes occur. “The th...

In this episode, we interview Gareth Higgins , a storyteller, writer, and founder of the Movies & Meaning festival (among many other projects). Unlike most of our other podcast interviews, this episode focuses more closely on universal themes such as human connection, loneliness, and community. It extends beyond what it means to be a better entrepreneur to what it means to be a better human be...

A former postal service worker, Kaye Bentley, founded Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours in July of 2018. The idea came to her just a year before she retired from the postal service. “I knew that eventually, I would retire from the postal service, but I just thought I would volunteer for some organizations and possibly travel,” she says. Of course, as we now know, things didn’t exactly go the way she tho...

In this episode, we uncover the story of the founders and creative minds behind Atlas Branding. Since its founding, Atlas Branding has worked with many different Asheville-based businesses and events, including Chow Chow Asheville, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn, Ginger’s Revenge, High Five Coffee, Form & Function Architecture, and many more. And now, over 10 years into their business, they are con...

Myles Alexander is truly one of a kind. In episode 26, with Holiday Grooms, we mentioned that a gentleman is someone who puts their guests at ease. Myles is a gentleman. While he says that his architecture business is decidedly left of center and "not your mamma's architecture firm" — he shows an endearing appreciation for history and irreverence for tradition for tradition's sake. We think you'll...

Born and raised in Asheville, NC, Garnet (aka “Nettie”) is known for her minimalist, abstract giclee paintings. Here’s What You’ll Learn: The story behind how and why Garnet (aka “Nettie”) started painting and how she developed her own signature style The history of the "Weird Bad Art Machine" (which we think is genius) Garnet explains the process and meaning behind her paintings The difference be...

Hunter Berry identifies as a “feeler.” When he left Texas in 2014 to build a new life in Asheville, he ended up taking his own advice. “I always told friends who were leaving Texas to open up a taco shop and spread the good news of breakfast tacos.” So that’s what he did, feeling his way through the process. The rest, they say, is history —and an interesting one at that. If you want to learn the s...

Welcome to Season 3 of the Making It in Asheville podcast! In this episode, we share strategies YOU can use for setting goals and resolutions for the New Year, plus we give you a sneak peek into what YOU can expect from this podcast in 2020. Here’s What You’ll Learn: Why New Year’s Resolutions often fail and how you can prevent it from happening M.A.T.A. – Our system for setting meaningful, intent...

This episode exists to help you get a sense of each episode this season. We recap episodes 20-34 so that you know which ones you'll want to save and listen to! For complete show notes, including some supplementary information from this episode visit: MakingItInAsheville.com/035 To recommend an interviewee, visit: MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast Curious to learn more about what we do? Making It Cre...

This year we wanted to double down on buying less-but-better gifts, from local makers. We share our holiday gift guide in this episode. Enjoy! Some hints about what's in this Gift Guide: Bee-utiful Candles Meat School Potters + Caffeinators Local Leatherwork Quint-Essential Oil Sustainabili-Tea Time One-of-a-kind Woodwork Abstract Art Popular Popcorn Sensational Saunas For complete show notes, inc...

In this episode of Making It in Asheville, we interview Leah Wong Ashburn, President of Highland Brewing. Founded in 1994, Highland Brewing was the first legal brewery in Asheville since Prohibition. Today it is the largest native North Carolina brewhouse, distributing throughout the state and the Southeast region. In 2011, Leah became President of the company her father, Oscar Wong, had founded y...

In this episode of Making It in Asheville, we interview Honey. She is the founder and owner of Different Wrld, a fashion and lifestyle brand based in Asheville, NC. We sit down with Honey to discuss the imminent rebrand/relaunch of Different Wrld and her upcoming crowdfunding campaign. Here's What You'll Learn: Honey's story of how and why she started Different Wrld Crowdfunding best practices (an...

In this episode, the two of us sit down and talk about the meaning behind “gratitude,” money, and three different ways to price your product or service. “Appreciation means two things: It means to grow and it means thankfulness. And I do believe that appreciation is a form of currency and people can show that they appreciate you with money. One of the ways to allow for that, as a business owner, i...

In this episode, we interview Zach Greenwald, co-founder of Strength Ratio, a strength-training and Olympic weightlifting gym located in Asheville, NC. Here's What You'll Learn: The Strength Ratio approach and philosophy How Zach started Strength Ratio (note: it's the opposite of your average gym start-up path) The inverted gym growth model he followed and how it led to their success How pain and...

After interviewing over 20 Asheville-based business owners, we've distilled 21 ideas for growing a business in Asheville. Here are the top five. These five ideas will help your business survive and thrive in Asheville — as demonstrated by our guests! Note: Keep in mind that there are 16 more ideas that we’ve outlined in a 15-page PDF. Access all 21 ideas in a printable, downloadable PDF by visitin...

Alyssa Phillips, founder and owner of Amp'd Designs. She's a graphic designer in Asheville specializing in logo design, branding, print design, and Squarespace web design. We worked with her on our new branding! <h4>Here's What You'll Learn in This Episode:</h4> Why Alyssa moved from Brooklyn to Asheville and what the transition was like How Alyssa went from being a freelance designer...

In this episode, we interview Gabriel Hargett, the founder and owner of Oowee Products . Oowee is a handcrafted leather goods company based in Asheville NC. They create all sorts of custom leather products, from high-quality pint glass sleeves to leather-patched hats and more. And you know what else? They employ a hardworking team of adults that are on the Autism spectrum to help them with hand se...

In this episode, we sit down with mustachioed barber Holiday Childress of Holiday Grooms. Holiday Grooms is an on-location wedding and special events grooming service inspired by bespoke men’s tailoring, classic first-class air travel, and speakeasies worldwide. Here's what you'll learn: The story of how Holiday transitioned from being a hair colorist and stylist to owning his own men's mobile gro...

In this episode, we unpack what it was like to plan a wedding in Asheville. Obviously, if you're looking to get married in Asheville you'll want to check this episode out. But you don't need to be newly engaged to find value in this episode. While it's often hidden in the subtext, there's a lot in this episode that can help a business owner to consider their customer's experience. As you might hav...