The Blend with Kenz and Chan

This one’s for the OGs, the ghosts of frat parties past, and anyone who’s ever worked out of a basement and dared to dream big.  In this special episode between Season 1 and 2, we’re celebrating  10 years of EVA —reminiscing on our journey from signing incorporation docs in the Belmont library to building a real company that’s survived towed cars, questionable “offices,” laundry room build session...

On this episode of The Blend , we take time to reflect on the year together—celebrating growth in both business and self. We dive into meaningful end-of-year review questions, exploring topics like: What was the best outcome of the year? What’s working and what’s not working? What did we most enjoy in the business? What was the biggest lesson we learned this year? How did we waste time versus how...

On this episode of  The Blend with Kenz + Chan , we reflect on our recent EVA Vision meeting—a pivotal moment that showed just how aligned and “locked in” our team truly is. Everyone’s not just embracing our core values—they’re exuding them and leveling up to the next stage of who we are as a company. We discuss how this team-wide alignment is fueling our growth, making future plans more concrete,...

In this episode, Channing and Makenzie dive into the concept of imposter syndrome, exploring how they still experience it even after nine years of building their business. Instead of seeing it as a setback, they discuss how feeling like an "imposter" can actually be a sign of growth, signaling that they’re tackling new challenges and making progress. They also reflect on how startups, with their a...

In this episode of The Blend with Kenz + Chan , we look back on the biggest growth we've experienced this fall—and why it still doesn’t feel like enough. We talk about how we’re managing this feeling within ourselves and our team, while also navigating challenges like the economy and recession. We share the big advancements we’ve made, from building a new revenue stream to delegating more so we ca...

In this episode of  The Blend with Kenz + Chan , we switch things up by asking each other a mix of business and personal questions that dive into the heart of our partnership. From “What are you most excited about where the business is at right now?” to “What concert do you wish you could go back and see again?” and even “What would you do after EVA?”—we cover it all. This conversation showcases t...

In this episode of The Blend with Kenz + Chan , we dive into the world of conferences—both the hard parts and the highlights. From the challenges of travel to the nerves of walking into a room full of strangers, we share our experiences and how we've navigated these hurdles over the years. We discuss how our approach to networking and selling at conferences has evolved, striving to be intentio...

In this episode of  The Blend with Kenz + Chan , we tackle the often-stressful topic of competition and why we believe it can actually be a great thing. As entrepreneurs, competition is inevitable, but instead of fearing it, we've learned to see it as validation of our business in the market. Join us as we share funny anecdotes of past competitors and the lessons we've learned from them. W...

In this episode of The Blend with Kenz + Chan, we tackle the battle between ego and entrepreneurship. We discuss the importance of taking PTO, the art of delegation, and the real financial struggles we face as entrepreneurs. Join us as we share personal stories and practical tips on overcoming these challenges, highlighting the need to set aside pride and prioritize well-being. Tune in for a raw a...

In this episode of The Blend with Kenz + Chan, we dive into the world of banking and share some crucial lessons we've learned along the way. Banking turned out to be a much bigger part of our business than we initially thought, and we're here to have a candid discussion about what has worked well and what hasn’t. From navigating complex banking processes to discovering tips we wish we had...

In this upbeat episode of The Blend with Kenz + Chan, we focus on all the things we love about being entrepreneurs. From the flexibility and freedom to the incredible community and building our own culture, we dive into what makes this journey so rewarding. We also reflect on our childhoods and the moments that sparked our entrepreneurial spirit, sharing how these experiences have shaped who we ar...

In this episode of The Blend with Kenz + Chan, we take you behind the scenes of our journey with burnout and how we're bouncing back. We discuss the tools and strategies we've found effective, why burnout is such a challenging issue for entrepreneurs, and the importance of supporting one another through it all. Join us for a mix of business insights and candid discussions about our vulnera...

In this episode of The Blend with Kenz + Chan, we get real about the ups and downs of the past year. We open up about how we've navigated burnout and personal stress, and share the tough lessons from a big mistake that caught up to us. Join us as we talk candidly about our mental health, how we're really doing, and what's been happening in our lives and business. It’s an honest look at...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of "The Blend with Kenz + Chan"! In this exciting premiere, Kenz and Chan reintroduce themselves and their revamped podcast. Join them as they share what to expect from this new version of the show, including candid insights, valuable lessons, and honest conversations about entrepreneurship and life. Kenz and Chan dive deep into what they've been up t...

Continuing the conversation of fundraising, Channing and Makenzie give updates on their current round. They emphasize how important it is to find the right investors, and how you should be vetting them as much as they vet you. They also discuss determining how much you should raise and how to prioritize how the capital should be allocated. 

In this episode Channing and Makenzie talk about their experience raising money (for the second time.) They discuss how they used SXSW as a launching pad to open their round and how they got interest from investors before having a deck. Raising money is a full time job and the EVA co-founders are happy to have each other to split some of the work.  Finally, they talk about the cons of raising too...

Many of us have gotten accustomed to working from home in the past two years. Some of us love it and never want to go back to the office, while some of us are ready to get out of the house. Channing and Makenzie talk about how their team is doing a hybrid model and how important it is to connect with your employees and co-workers even when you're not in the same room.

Channing & Makenzie have always had relationships with their customers. Much of their business has come through referrals and word of mouth. Finally they are spending money on digital marketing to grow their business outside of their network. In this episode they share tools, tips, and stories in their experience with a marketing budget. 

Channing, Makenzie, and their sales team have always tried  to make their customers lives easier.  After years of saying yes, their clients are starting to ask for things outside of EVA's business model. In this episode Channing and Makenzie discuss managing expectations and setting boundaries with current clients. They determine if it is ever acceptable to turn business away.

Channing and Makenzie have given you all of the tools you need to validate your business idea. Your idea may be ready to turn into a business but are you the right one to start that business? If not, Channing and Makenzie discuss how you can identify the right team members to add. It's already challenging to build a business and doing it alone only makes it harder. 

Channing and Makenzie revisit the concept of validating your idea before starting a business.  Getting feedback from potential customers,  determining your market size, and estimating potential costs and expenses are all important before launching. They share tools for first time founders and give insight on how a business is constantly changing. 

Channing and Makenzie recently took the rest of the EVA team on a company retreat. They talk about what they worked on during that time and how important it is to get face time with their team. The team looks a lot different than it did at their first retreat so they reminisce on how they've grown and what their goals are now. Company culture is something they touch on and how they make it a...

Channing and Makenzie return for season 4! They discuss Makenzie's move to Austin and how it impacts their business, the growth of their team, and how they are managing in 2021. The founders also discuss the importance of timing, and that even the best ideas can sometimes be too early. 

We are THRILLED that 2020 is coming to an end. While it was extremely difficult at times we do believe we came out of this better both personally and professionally. The theme of EVA's 2020 was accelerated iteration. We had to change our model fast when the pandemic hit and it was not something we could have done without our team. In this episode we discuss how our company culture has improve...

Now it's Makenzie's turn to be in the hot seat. Channing gets Makenzie to open up about who she is and what makes her tick. She discusses her strengths and weaknesses, her influences and interests, and how many bones she's broken.  We love feedback! founders@freshmenfounders.com