First To Arrive, Last to Leave

Learning to raise your hand can change the trajectory of your life. In today's episode, we are joined by the incredible Kate Isler, an entrepreneur and advocate for women in business. Kate shares her journey of trial and error, acknowledging both her successes and failures in various aspects of life, including relationships, parenting, and career choices. Kate discusses the importance of recognizi...

After getting laid off, Terri Hoffman found herself interviewing for her next role. However, it wasn't until her recruiter told her she thought she should consider entrepreneurship that Terri really started to consider the idea. It ended up that entrepreneurship was the right path for her, and after talking to a few mentors, Terri decided to try it. Marketing Refresh was born and she hasn't looked...

After getting laid off during maternity leave, Kate Winsor decided enough was enough. At this time, her brother also had his own business but was struggling in the day-to-day operations. At that moment, she decided to help him with Cadence Studios, and this family business grew. Kate joins Courtney and Erin on this episode of First to Arrive, Last to Leave to discuss her journey from employee to e...

Middle school girls can be cruel, and that was what ultimately led Kelly Foreman to find a better way to style her curly hair. In this episode of First to Arrive, Last to Leave, Kelly, CEO and Founder of MopTop joins Courtney and Erin to discuss her journey from frustration over the products that were out there to finally creating her own. She talks about the ups and downs of bringing your own pro...

What's holding you back from taking control of your dreams? If you have any excuse at all this is the episode to listen to as we sit down with Brittany Traylor or Traylor Transpo. In this episode, we'll be diving deep into the journey of our guest, Brittany, as she breaks through barriers, overcomes challenges, and defies stereotypes to achieve greatness. From growing up in the foster care system...

How long would you fight for the success of your company? In reality, many business owners give up too soon, and it's the exact reason why Josh Kunkel is thriving with his company. Josh is the Founder + Managing Principal at Method Group, and joins Courtney and Erin on this episode of First to Arrive, Last to Leave to talk about his journey from suddenly becoming an entrepreneur, not being able to...

It all started with an idea and a dream she expressed to her daughters, and then her daughters wouldn't let her walk away from it. After falling in love with baking and always volunteering to make the baked goods for the kids' events, Daphne left a successful career in law to pursue her dream of owning her own bakery. This also came after a nudge from her daughter reminding her that she had encour...

Growing a company is no easy feat, especially when you're growing exponentially in a short amount of time. On this episode of Frist to Arrive, Last to Leave, Courtney and Erin are joined by Cheryl O'Hern of Spin Markket + Digital. Cheryl talks about leaving a Fortune 500 company in 2012 and going out to start her own company. She then grew her company from just a few employees to over 37, all duri...

A 2-year partnership is hard to come by in the world of entrepreneurship, let alone a 12-year one. It’s the story of Hazel Geary and Rachel McFadden, co-founders of Drio. Hazel and Rachel join us for this episode of First to Arrive, Last to Leave to discuss their journey as business owners and friends and what building a successful company has been like. They also talk about the ability to hone in...

On this episode of First To Arrive Last To Leave, we dive into the fascinating journey of our guest, Jackie Clayborn, CEO of ONC National. Jackie talks about how her entrepreneurial bug came while watching her parents both build their own companies. She also discusses the importance of aligning goals within a team and shares valuable insights on leadership and mentorship. Drawing from their own ex...

Being the first in an industry can be a blessing and a curse, and Cheyenne Smith, Founder of Blk Hive Media and Dakota Ridge has found herself mostly loving the challenge. On this episode of First To Arrive Last To Leave, we dive into the world of entrepreneurship and the challenges of navigating finances, funding, and scaling a business. Cheyenne opens up about her personal journey of starting a...

Can you apply what you learned while playing sports to business? Actually, the intersections are endless, and Jarvis Hill wrote a book helping kids to understand that everything they learn from playing sports can be applied to the business world once they graduate. Jarvis joins Courtney and Erin on this episode of First To Arrive, Last to Leave to talk about his book, 'Sports Biz: There's More To...

Before everyone was talking about data analytics, Robin Sturgis was already in the thick of it, helping venture capital firms make smart decisions through data. When Robin was doing some data freelance work while also raising three teenage daughters, she found the opportunity for more and decided to hire and form her own company. Since then infoFluency has grown, and Robin has used her own experie...

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? Or in Nickquolette Barrett case, you can have your corporate job, a pension just around the corner, and a thriving business. Or as Nickquolette likes to call it, her Angel Investor. Nickquolette Barrett is the Get Hired Strategiest, who first started helping people with their resumes so they could quickly climb the corporate ladder. As her clients...

How many times would you get knocked down before walking away from your company? For many it's one to a few, but there aren't many people who will still be standing after several. However, that's the story of Jennifer Scott, who had just set out to say that quitting wasn't going to be an option. Jennifer's story is incredible from finding out one of her business partners was arrested for embezzlem...

No one will ever claim owning a business is easy, but when you also have mother nature against you, building through a disaster can be extremely difficult. The great Josh Johnson joins us on this episode of First to Arrive, Last to Leave to discuss his journey into entrepreneurship, and how a combination of growing too fast along with Hurricane Katrina created an almost impossible situation to ove...

On this episode of First To Arrive Last To Leave, Courtney and Erin talk with Ari Krzyzek, CEO of Chykalophia, a creative and web agency. Ari shares her journey of building her company with her husband and how they continued to scale their business through various challenges. She also shares how she had difficulty building a team and relinquishing control when hiring designers and the value of men...

Just because you can do it, doesn't it mean you should do it. That's often a hard lesson to learn for entrepreneurs, and many times as you're growing your business, you find yourself doing all of things. However, you then get a point where you've spread yourself so thin, that gaining momentum can be extremely difficult. It's the story of Chris Botvidson, who built a marketing company and found him...

We can often feel that we're stuck in a career path, or in a business, but what would be like if you listened to that internal voice, higher voice, (whatever you want to label it), and went with what we were feeling called to do? It may sound crazy, but it's the choice that Cheryl Polote Williamson has made time and time again and that has led her to a pretty incredible life. Cheryl's not just an...

Many of us know we're supposed to be out in nature more, but many of us don't take the time to make this a reality. It's a mission for Tami Gilmore, founder of Wilderness Therapy Retreats, to help people reconnect with nature, and themselves to find more peace in their lives. Whether it's a burned out mom, or a busy executive, our lives have lost enjoyment and connection because we're just trying...

Get your seat belts ready as this is quite a ride. On this episode, Courtney and Erin welcome Brent Reaves, co-owner of Smoke John's BBQ, a nationally recognized brand located in Dallas, TX. Brent's talking about continuing to build his father's legacy through the restaurant that his parents started, and his driving factor to get through all that life has thrown at him. When he took over the resta...

When knocking on the door for opportunity doesn't lead to an opening, you build your own door. That's the story of Sammi Bivens, CEO of the Marketing Maven, who has consistently found a way to build her own doors for her passion of marketing. Sammi shares how she first landed in the entrepreneurial world through jewelry and how her sales skills led her to learn how to create and grow an online sto...

Burning the candle at both ends. It's a term known all too well for entrepreneurs, and one that left our guest, Shelyna Tinglin, in the hospital. Shelyna Tinglin is a dual career realtor and coach who once struggled with burnout. After experiencing stress that landed her in the hospital, she talks about having to make a tough decision: which career to prioritize. Choosing real estate over teaching...

How hard are you working building other people’s dreams? It was a question Daris Frencha had to ask herself as she found herself loving sales and people, but her hard work was building a company that wasn’t hers. After she started working a side job with a company, selling legal benefits, she realized she was capable of starting something on her own. Daris shares her story on this episode of First...

We're getting real and personal in this episode of First to Arrive, Last to Leave when the tables are turned to hear our co-host Erin Gregor's story. Erin shares how her journey of entrepreneurship has been one accidental venture after another. She also shares how curiosity has been her driving factor for continuing to build and grow businesses, and why sometimes that can be a great thing and othe...