Making It In Asheville

In this episode, we interview Emily Copus of Carolina Flowers, Zadie's Market, and a yet-to-be opened bed and breakfast in Marshall. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: How journalism shaped her thinking for business and economics  The defining moment Emily decided to go into the flower business Elemental questions to ask yourself before going into a career Why Emily believes it's non-negoti...

In this episode, we interview Carlos Palma and Liz Goyer, the two customer service experts and the team running Textura Rugs. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: What makes Textura rugs different  Why you should choose the rug first when decorating a home or room Steps they took to open the business How to distinguish certain rugs from others How Carlos and Liz manage different roles in the...

In this episode, we interview John Hornsby. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: How John developed his (is ever-evolving) style The importance of finding art through community How the practice of “going down the rabbit hole” and diving into research helps John's curiosity Why value is not tied to productivity Understanding the difference between reactivity and proactivity Why John started bu...

In this episode, we interview Justin & Amanda James, the modern shoemakers & married business duo of Opie Way in Asheville, NC. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: Where the name Opie Way came from How they got into the sneaker shoe business How Justin made his first sneaker Marketing tactics plus what their initial sales process was like Coronavirus impact on their business What thi...

In this episode, we interview Jared Kay, the founder of Amplified Media. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: How Jared got his start in video production Key defining moment(s) on when he decided to get an office and hire employees How he and his team weigh big decisions, like bringing on a new client What a “matterport” video is Where Jared finds inspiration for his video production For comp...

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: How they came up with the idea for Chill Cereal Bar The one marketing tool that Patricia has relied on to help grow their business How Elijah designed their first logo Patricia shares some insight into why she’s constantly learning and taking courses The importance of always trying to reach new communities and groups Their favorite cereal....dun dun dun......

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: Anneliese shares her story of heartbreak and how that uprooted her and led to her path of woodworking Why Anneliesse would tell people that she was a “woodworker” before she felt like she really was one Learning to say “no" The first channels that Anneliesse used for selling her work and why she loves Shopify Lessons on being okay with failure How Annelies...

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The story of how Cristina and David got the idea for starting a ginger beer company How David developed his first recipes for ginger beer Naming/branding strategy Major milestones in growing and developing their business How they set year goals What it's like working together as a husband and wife team How they're pivoting their business strategy and goals...

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The defining moment when Brian knew he had to go into urban ministry How Brian learned public speaking as an introvert Council for de-escalating a situation and for opening up dialogue to strangers on the street Why (and how) Brian prioritizes self-care above all else for his team and himself The unique way Brian hiked the Appalachian trail We hope you enj...

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: How Lisa fell in love with dancing, and specifically belly dancing The process Lisa took to open her own dance studio in downtown Asheville Important questions to ask when looking for a life or business coach Sales + pricing strategy tips Lisa's process for setting goals and checking in with herself (she does different things on a daily, weekly, quarterly,...

Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The story of how John went from studying Theology and Philosophy to working in a kitchen How a study abroad experience in Italy shaped John's view on food John's career path, from working as the private chef for Mary Tyler Moore to establishing a unique cuisine at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee What it was like to open a restaurant in downtown Asheville Why...

it's a short episode but here's what we talk about: Where we've been for the last 10 weeks (?!?) What's new at Making It In Asheville How to share your story with the MIIA community Where to go if you want to support the Podcast and community For complete show notes from past episodes : MakingItInAsheville.com To recommend an interviewee, visit: MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast Shoutout to this sea...

In this episode, we recap the 12 episodes of season 4. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The highlights and most notable parts of each episode (according to us) Who everyone we interviewed is and what their business/work looks like in Asheville What big announcement we have about season 5 We hope you enjoy this recap episode! For complete show notes, including some supplementary informatio...

In this episode, we interview Keynon Lake, the founder of a youth mentorship program called My Daddy Taught Me That. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The story of how Keynon started My Daddy Taught Me That (MDTMT) The work of MDTMT, as it tries to solve a human problem What it was like for Keynon to grow up in Asheville, NC How Keynon has seen Asheville change over the years How Keynon ha...

In this episode, we interview Aisha Adams, a coach, business developer, and social media influencer. She is the founder of Aisha Adams Media Group and NappyThoughts.com . Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The story of how Aisha started Aisha Adams Media Group and Equity Over Everything How and why Aisha started the blog NappyThoughts.com and how it grew to become a popular resource on soci...

In this episode, we interview Jaze Uries, a musician and photographer. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The story of how Jaze developed a passion and talent for music What it was like for Jaze to write, produce, and sing his first song How Jaze become interested in photography and developed an eye for fashion and architectural styles We hope you enjoy this episode with Jaze! For complete...

In this episode, we interview Sarajane Case, a coach, writer, and speaker. At the time of publishing, her total Instagram following from @EnneagramAndCoffee and her personal account @Sarajancaseis well over 600k people. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: A basic breakdown of what the Enneagram is, what it’s not, and how it can help you better understand yourself and others Sarajane shares w...

In this episode we interview Molly Dingledine, an Asheville-based jeweler and the founder of Sisters in Circles, a non-profit organization run by women for women. Here’s What You’ll Learn in this Episode: The story of how and why Molly decided to dedicate her life designing and making jewelry by hand How trusting her intuition and “going with the flow” has helped Molly find balance and happiness i...

In this episode, we interview Oby Morgan, the founder of Capital at Play. Oby takes us back to the early days of starting Capital at Play and talks about how he got the idea for the magazine. We learn about the first steps he took to get it off the ground and running, from navigating the world of printing companies to selling magazine advertising. We also discuss entrepreneurship and the character...

In this episode, we interview Luke McLaughlin, the founder and head instructor of Holistic Survival School. Luke has spent months (and maybe years?!) using only primitive tools and supplies surviving out in nature. And he's most know for competing three times in the Discovery Channel show, Naked and Afraid. Prior to moving to Asheville and starting Holistic Survival School, he worked as a Wilderne...

In this episode, we interview Jeff Kaplan, the Director of Venture Asheville and founder of Just Kibbitz. In our own opinion, Jeff is as close to the gravitational center of Asheville’s startup ecosystem as you can get. Here's some background on our guest, Jeff Kaplan. For as long as he can remember, Jeff has been fascinated by entrepreneurship. Prior to becoming the Director of Entrepreneurship a...

In this episode, we interview Stephanie and Matt Trowbridge, the husband and wife founders of Range Urgent Care in Asheville, NC. Stephanie and Matt are on a mission to reimagine healthcare. In 2017, the husband and wife team opened up Range Urgent Care, a walk-in clinic located on Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville. Today, Range services Asheville citizens providing them with a simplified healthc...

In this episode, we interview the two founders of Moonlight Makers, Claire Watson and Nicole Hairfield. You probably know Moonlight Makers for their shop on Rankin Ave that sells t-shirts and gifts featuring silly puns and phrases. But what you might now know is that Moonlight Makers wasn’t always a t-shirt company. In fact, when they first started out their intention was to sell the artwork of lo...

In this episode, we interview Marilyn Ball, host of the Speaking of Travel podcast and author of The Rise of Asheville. It’s hard to express just how much Marilyn knows about Asheville and it's history. We first got to know her over lunch at the Stony Knob Cafe. Between bites, we discussed the podcasting landscape (a shared interest), marketing and advertising industry (a shared profession), and A...

In this episode, we interview Nick Dodson , the founder of Broken Helm . Broken Helm is a multi-media production company for people who are afflicted with addiction and want to create. Nick and his team help to recovering addicts produce podcasts, music, art, merchandise, and more. “We take ideas from people who are in recovery or anyone in the addict community and help make those ideas…come to li...