The Business of Small Business

In this podcast episode, Rav welcomes Emily Yan, the owner and creative director of Provisions Market and Gifts, to discuss her passion for bringing local foods and products to her community. Emily shares her journey and inspiration for starting Provisions, emphasizing the need to support local businesses during the pandemic. Emily highlights the value of local food production and its positive impact on the environment and economy. Emily emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and being community-centered, offering advice for aspiring small business owners. She shares her future goals for Provisions, including making their products easily accessible and creating meaningful gifts that give back to the community.

Timestamps

[01:30] Emily’s journey and inspiration

[05:07] Choosing products for the store

[11:29] The role of local food production in the community

[13:11] Connecting with like-minded business owners

[17:34] Balancing personal life and business

Quotes

• "I want to make a change and I want to work collectively with the makers so that we can all support local and find a better meaning to increase our well-being for the whole community." -Emily Yan [02:59]
• "Business owners try to focus on the community because that's where we live. If you can throw yourself out there to see what you can offer, even internally, your business is going to be more sustainable." -Emily Yan [23:23]

In this podcast episode, Rav interviews Raveena Oberoi, the owner of Just Cakes Bakeshop. Raveena shares her journey of becoming an entrepreneur and what inspired her to start her own bakery. She discusses the support she received from her family, the challenges she faced in her first year of business, and the importance of representation in her industry. Raveena also talks about the difficulties of pursuing a creative profession and the need for self-development. She emphasizes the importance of innovation and genuine connections with customers, and offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Timestamps

[01:30] Becoming an entrepreneur

[04:00] Starting the cake business in a small apartment

[08:05] Opening the first location of Just Cakes

[10:32] The importance of representation and mentorship

[15:01] Finding balance and delegating tasks

[17:53] The value of innovation and genuine marketing

[19:35] Advice for starting a small business

[23:44] The importance of mentorship and networking

Quotes

• "I've never been disappointed in taking a chance on myself because I know I'm going to do whatever it takes to see it through or at least give it an honest effort." -Raveena Oberoi [07:50]

• "I wish people really gave credit to how much work it is. I think it gets glamorized a lot and I think that there's merit and so much attraction to it. It requires a different kind of mental toughness that I don't think a lot of entrepreneurs get credit for. So if you know somebody that runs a small business, you know, give them kudos, give them that support that they really need because that can be the difference of them really feeling down on themselves or taking that next step." -Raveena Oberoi [28:59]

In this podcast episode, Rav welcomes Michael Yoder, Founder of Truth Work Media. Michael shares his journey of starting a podcasting business and how connecting with people has impacted that journey. He discusses the inspiration behind his business, the challenges he faced, and the mindset required for entrepreneurship. Michael also discusses the need to overcome the fear of failure and the importance of grounding oneself in personal values. Listen this week as Michael and Rav discuss the misconceptions about entrepreneurship and how motivation can drive us to succeed.

Quotes

• "People often ask us, like on the end of calls, when they call in, they're like, well, what separates you from other podcast agencies? It's a good question because there's a lot of them now, and I say probably our ability to connect with people and care for people well. And I don't take that lightly. That's something that I've done for years outside of this job and something we want to continue to do well into the future." -Michael Yoder

• "Momentum creates momentum, which creates momentum. And it is the same with discipline. So if you can be disciplined and motivated in different areas of your life, that's just going to bleed over." -Michael Yoder