Cleveland Mompreneur Guide Podcast

Business partners, optometrists, and moms Josie Kosunick and Nicolette Scott from Broad View Eye Center visit the studio this week for an insightful conversation about building an optometry empire while raising families. With one of the largest privately owned eye clinics in Cleveland, we dive into how their people-focused culture makes them different and how their families contribute. Nicolette and Josie discuss what hindsight has taught them about worry, and how they have been intentional about choosing the aesthetic and staff for their clinics.

This insightful episode explores:

• Why networking moms were the key demographic for Josie and Nicolette's business boom.


• How welcoming change and trusting that things are working out for you will move you forward.


• Why separating your business and your family isn't always helpful or possible, and how blending the two can make your business even more special.


• Intentional ways to build a team that fits well with you and your demographic for a top-notch client experience.

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Josie, Nicolette, and the Broad View Eye Center:

• The Broad View Eye Center website


• @broadvieweye on Instragram

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Kathy Cruz from the Savvy Shopkeeper is sitting in the cozy pink chairs with us at the Mompreneur Co. Studio this week! Kathy is a retail business consultant for brick and mortar store owners, sharing what she's learned from nearly a decade of balance, profit, and growth at her own home decor boutique.

We talk about how much has changed since we met in 2017 when Kathy was gathering up the courage to leave her job as a detective and go into business for herself.

Back then, she said the fear of failure motivated her to keep her steady paycheck rather than trying to take the leap into entrepreneurship. And ironically here she is today talking to us about how she embraces failure as a core piece of her strategy.

“If I try something new and it doesn’t work, it’s a winner because I learn what my clients actually need from me for the next time. Instead of getting stuck on it like I used it, it’s an opportunity for me to ask what else do they want? How else can I serve them?”

Plus, as a shopkeeper herself, she talks about the call to share what she’s learned with others and how valuable it is to speak from a place of practice & proof rather than talking in theory. And she shares a quick story about the surprising overlap between her business and her past detective career.

(02:07) 2017 Feels Like Forever Ago

Meg and Kathy talk about how much has changed since they met in 2017. Meg was driving around the Style Foundry mobile boutique for her wardrobe styling clients (Kathy was one of them!) and Kathy was gathering up the courage to leave her job as a detective and go into business for herself.

(05:44) Doing Then Teaching

Kathy shares how once she figured out her shopkeeping strategies for herself, she just had to share with others. She talks about the value of speaking from a place of practice and proof instead of from theory, and how she believes it inspires action over procrastination because the results feel more within reach. Plus she tells us about the wholesome community in her mastermind group, bonded together by their niche.

(10:03) Putting Her (Literal!) Detective Skills to Work

It took Kathy several years to realize the surprising amount of crossover between her coaching business and her detective career. She tells us the story of her "aha" moment after a full-day in-store intensive with a shopkeeper in her group, comparing to how she used to listen to witnesses, keep a case file organized, and piece together the story.

(13:51) “And That’s How I Know This Is Where I’m Supposed to Be”

“My driving force is the feeling I get to give other store owners — sometimes it’s relief, sometimes it’s inspiration, and sometimes it’s just accountability. And that's how I know this is where I'm supposed to be.” We get a little philosophical for a sec here! And then Kathy goes into detail about her headline-worthy fearlessness towards failure. She embraces failing since it helps her figure out what her clients actually need. And the side effect is that she becomes virtually fail-proof: if she tries something and it works, it’s a winner because it works. If she tries and it doesn’t work, it’s a winner because she learns for the next time.

(16:58) Mom Life

We look back at the support and encouragement Kathy is so grateful to have from her husband, mom, and sister; how it made her feel comfortable trusting her intuition and taking the leap to be more present with her family. Plus we look forward at what's next for Kathy... which includes a lot of calendar color-coding!

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Kathy & Savvy Shopkeeper:

• Savvy Shopkeeper's Website and Podcast


• Kathy's blueprint for increasing foot traffic to your store. See the details behind the strategies she touched on during this episode


• Follow Kathy on IG: @savvyshopkeeper

Soul Yoga owner and teacher Ylonda Rosenthal-Greene sits down with us at the studio this week, sharing how (and why!) she runs the most soulful yoga studio in the city.

She tells us what she learned from taking classes at every single yoga studio in Cleveland before starting her own, and how she recognized she needed to create a space that said more than just “you’re welcome to be here” to students and instructors. It had to say “we’ve been expecting you. We’re prepared for you.” It’s a small shift in mindset that has made a world of difference.

She designed every bit of the studio to support anyone who walks in the door. Her “soul space” markers, for example, relieve the anxiety of picking a spot to lay down your mat. And they double as a gentle way to tell instructors if you’re comfortable with hands-on assistance. There are so many more little details she shares (too many to cram them all into this summary) — the one about the flooring she picked with her kids in mind is so touching.

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Ylonda & Soul Yoga:

• Soul Yoga’s Website


• Book a class with Ylonda! We did an evening Blaze class with her – the test of physical and mental endurance was an empowering way to end the day!


• Follow Ylonda and Soul Yoga on IG: @awaketomysoul and @soulyogaohc

Memberships are not a new topic of conversation... however, I'm guessing when you hear that word a specific business model (that you're not interested in comes to mind.)

The low ticket, high effort, never-ending content kind...

@presentprofitablemom Tabitha has good news for you- Membership models are changing for the better which is why she joined us today to share:

• How memberships in 2023 are different (+ now completely unique to you- the mompreneur)


• The 3 basic pillars that successful and profitable memberships these days have


• And how the offer you're currently selling might be membership material with one little tweak (that saves you hours of time + makes you so much more money)

If you're a mompreneur who's craving consistent, sustainable, scalable profit doing work you love 10 hours a week- then this chat we had is for YOU!

SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Tabitha:

• Tune into the Present Profitable Mom Podcast


• Snag her FREE Design Your Membership Trello Board using code: MEGAN


• Check out her FREE Membership Success Roadmap


• Tune into her FREE Membership Masterclass: 3 Secrets to Multiplying Your Income, but NOT Your Work Hours!


• Tabitha's Website


• The TikTok Tabitha Shared About

Follow her on:

• IG: @presentprofitablemom


• TikTok: @presentprofitablemom


• Facebook: @tabitha.crocker2

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My friend @sarah_marie_bilger of the @entering_motherhood and I were recently chatting about mom life when she shared a powerful statement with me. 👇🏻

"My mom passed when I was 9. So when my first child, my daughter, was born 20 years later so much disconnect came up for me. I went into motherhood thinking: What does being a Mom look like? Who am I? Who should I be? What do I want to be? I have memories of me and my mom, but it's not those long lasting ones. And it left me thinking: How can I ensure that she's going to remember me? What parts of me do I want to pass down to her?"

Her story stopped me in my tracks because this is SUCH a big, important conversation, intentional mompreneurs like us like to and need to have.💕

So in this part Business Chat + part Mom Chat and we got really honest...

Sarah shared:

• What being a mom looks like to her


• What she wants to pass down to her kids


• And how navigating generational relationships can make the next generation that much stronger

If you're a mompreneur who's craving more connection with herself (+ the mom she wants to be) then this chat we had is for YOU!

Learn more about Sarah:

• Tune into the Entering Motherhood Podcast


• Snag her FREE Postpartum Guides


• Follow her on IG: @entering_motherhood

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND Q'S ON THIS INSTAGRAM POST

SHOW NOTES

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