Side Hustle Pro

If this resonated with you, here are additional resources:
⭐ APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shift

In this episode, I'm sharing the seven beliefs I had to unlearn before I could finally leave my corporate job and build Side Hustle Pro full time. I spent decades in corporate America, working at places like HBO, MTV, Google, and NPR, and even though I knew I wanted to leave, I wasn't mentally ready until I confronted the internal beliefs that kept me tied to that life.

Highlights Include
00:00 - My corporate background and why I'm scratching the record on old habits
03:01 - The seven things I had to unlearn to build Side Hustle Pro full time
06:48 - Unlearning the need to have my entire future figured out before leaving
11:25 - Why other people's opinions could not be my decision making system
17:31 - Unlearning that a job or promotion was my only path to more money
21:59 - Pay inequity in corporate and why the ceiling is lower than it seems
22:49 - Unlearning that I was limited to doing only what I had already done
27:33 - Confusing busyness with meaningful progress, and the one hour a day model
33:36 - The biggest unlearn: staying employed was not actually the safest option
42:21 - Reflection questions to figure out which belief you're still carrying

Watch & Listen
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323

Social Media
Instagram: @SideHustlePro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If this resonated with you, here are additional resources:
⭐ APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shift

In this episode, I sat down with Dawn Fitch, founder of Pooka Pure and Simple, to talk about the winding road that took her from designing album covers in the music industry to building a natural beauty brand rooted in her own health journey. Dawn opens up about the years it took to get an MS diagnosis, and how healing herself led her to start formulating clean, simple products long before she ever thought of herself as a business owner.

We get into the real, unglamorous parts of entrepreneurship: street teaming outside churches before social media existed, a cease-and-desist letter that almost derailed her Whole Foods deal, and the hard lessons of scaling into big box retail. Dawn also shares how she walked away from a failing retail lease with nowhere to go, only to land in the space that's been home to her production for over a decade.

Finally, Dawn walks me through the newest chapter of her story: a 250,000 dollar grant from Audible's DEI program that brought Pooka into a beautiful new Newark location, and how an activity she almost treated as an afterthought, the Bloom Bar, became the biggest draw of the whole business.

Main Takeaways
Protect your business structure early. Trademark your name, keep separate books, and build SOPs before you're forced to by a cease-and-desist letter or a big retail opportunity.
Don't chase big box retail until your core revenue stream is stable enough to absorb the rules, returns, and thin margins that come with it.
When a business decision doesn't feel right, it is okay to walk away even without a backup plan. Trust and timing can lead you somewhere better.
Build a real activation or experience around your product. Community and connection, not just the product itself, is what keeps customers coming back.

Highlights Include
(00:41) Dawn's start as a graphic designer in the music industry, designing album covers
(01:36) The moment paralysis first hit while she was walking to work
(03:04) The five-year journey to her eventual MS diagnosis
(05:15) How the name Pooka came from her mother calling her kids her pooka leaders
(07:19) Why email marketing became the backbone of the business from day one
(11:01) The cease-and-desist letter over the brand name right before entering Whole Foods
(13:49) How putting her pride to the side led to her first 10 Whole Foods stores
(18:29) Her advice on knowing when a business is truly ready for big box retail
(26:51) Why Pooka exited all 62 of its Whole Foods stores last year
(29:04) How the Best Life Tribe Facebook group and a sea moss request from a member helped save the business during the pandemic
(32:07) Landing the 250,000 dollar Audible DEI grant for the new Newark space
(35:14) How the Bloom Bar, almost an afterthought, became the biggest draw of the business

Watch & Listen
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323

Social Media
Website: pookapureandsimple.com
Instagram: @Pookalita
TikTok: @Pookalita1
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If this resonated with you, here are additional resources:
⭐ APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shift

In this episode, I sat down with Roxy Couse, the creator behind Millennial Manager, to talk about how she built a thriving personal brand while climbing the corporate ladder. Roxy spent almost 15 years in corporate, working her way up to senior director, before stepping away to run her content and consulting business full time.

We got into the real logistics of that transition, from going part time first, to navigating conflict of interest concerns at work, to eventually bringing on a management team once the opportunities became too much to handle alone. Roxy also opened up about paying off student loan debt with her side hustle income and the exact moment she realized her content could become a real business.

Roxy is now building SlowFi, a platform designed to help other corporate professionals build profitable personal brands with structure, community, and coaching.

Main Takeaways:

Consider going part time before fully leaving your job so you can test whether your side income is consistent before walking away completely.
Protect your main income while building a passion project by staying discreet at work and avoiding brand partnerships that could create a conflict of interest.
Bring on a management team or support staff once inbound opportunities outgrow what you can manage on your own, especially around contracts and negotiations.
Personal brand building does not have to be high effort. Make content creation fit into the pockets of time you already have instead of forcing a rigid content calendar.

Highlights Include
1:01 - Roxy's 15 year corporate career and her shift into content creation
3:50 - What held Roxy back from starting to create content
6:36 - The origin story behind her Millennial Manager persona
8:09 - How Roxy navigated conflict of interest concerns while working full time
14:20 - Why she went part time before leaving corporate completely
19:51 - The moment she realized she needed a management team
25:26 - How her one on one consulting turned into building SlowFi
33:24 - Her timeline for launching SlowFi and the realities of bootstrapping as a Black founder
38:22 - Balancing motherhood with running her business
47:00 - Lightning round: resources, admiration, non-negotiables, and her advice for aspiring side hustlers

Watch & Listen
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323

Social Media
Instagram, TikTok, and X: @Roxycouse
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If this resonated with you, here are additional resources:
APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shift

In this episode, I sat down with Jamila Wright, co-founder of Brooklyn Tea, to trace the full story of how she and her husband Ali turned tea dates into a business. Jamila walked me through leaving a career in education, emptying her retirement savings, and fighting a two year trademark battle before they ever opened their first location.

We got into the real financial decisions behind building out that first shop, including an SBA loan that arrived late, putting up her own home as collateral, and the lesson she learned about the difference between being an investor and being an owner operator. Jamila also shared how a relationship with a fellow Brooklyn business owner led to their current Lewis Avenue location.

From there we picked up with how Brooklyn Tea’s verticals came together, the financial setbacks along the way including a six figure loan and a partnership that fell apart, and the moment she and Ali finally started paying themselves.

Main Takeaways
Big opportunities often come from saying yes rather than a master plan, so be ready to rise to the moment when it arrives.
Waiting on outside funding like an SBA loan can force you to dip into personal savings, so plan for delays before signing a lease or starting construction.
Choosing between taking on debt or equity investors should depend on your long term goal, whether that is building a legacy brand or eventually selling it.
Paying yourself is a milestone that often comes after years of sacrifice, so figuring out that number is part of building a sustainable business.

Highlights Include
(00:32) How Jamila and Ali went from dating over tea to business partners
(08:12) The financial decisions behind opening the first Brooklyn Tea location
(16:16) Why Jamila had to put up her Atlanta home as collateral for their SBA loan
(19:38) Debt versus equity, and deciding what kind of business you want to build
(24:13) The real lesson foot traffic taught them about their first location
(29:45) How a relationship with Monique Greenwood led to their current Lewis Avenue location
(37:33) Saying yes to wholesale and e-commerce almost by accident
(47:39) Landing a licensing and franchising deal with an airport
(52:12) The Saks Fifth Avenue partnership that fell apart
(1:07:45) Paying themselves for the first time after two and a half years

Watch & Listen
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323

Social Media
Website: brooklyntea.com
Brooklyn Tea Instagram: @brooklyntea
Jamila's Instagram: @jamilawright21
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If this resonated with you, here are additional resources:
⭐ APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shift

In this episode, I sat down with longtime friends and business partners Cynthia Bailey and Dana Hill-Robinson to talk about how a friendship that started in a New York hair salon in the 1990s turned into a skincare brand thirty years later. Cynthia shares her path from an eighteen year old model moving to New York to a reality television mainstay, while Dana walks us through her years at Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and building the beauty subscription box Cocotique.

We dig into how they finally partnered on Glowissima, why they chose to launch with only two hero products, and how they source ingredients like manuka honey and kiwi seed oil from New Zealand. Cynthia also opens up about the businesses she has closed in the past and what those experiences taught her about knowing when to walk away.

Cynthia and Dana get candid about profitability timelines, the current shift in consumer spending, and why a huge social following does not automatically translate into sales. They close out with practical advice for women who want to start a business but are worried about money and failure.

Main Takeaways
Launch lean: start with one or two hero products instead of a full line so you can prove the concept before scaling.
Know when to fold: it is a business skill, not a failure, to walk away from a venture once it stops making financial sense.
Vet every partnership: joint ventures work best when both sides have a track record and clearly defined roles from the start.
Followers are not buyers: a large social following does not guarantee sales, so keep testing your messaging and your audience.

Highlights Include
(00:19) How Cynthia and Dana met at a New York hair salon in the 1990s
(02:37) Cynthia's move from Alabama to New York at eighteen to model
(04:08) The Essence cover that became Cynthia's big break
(05:24) The move from modeling into reality television
(10:26) Lessons from closing the Bailey Wine Cellar and the Bailey Room
(14:44) Dana on pivoting Cocotique into a health and wellness hub
(17:56) The formulation story and meaning behind the name Glowissima
(19:14) Turning a thirty-year friendship into a business partnership
(27:01) Sourcing manuka honey and kiwi seed oil from New Zealand
(38:57) Digging deeper on marketing when the economy shifts

Watch & Listen
Watch this episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8t
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sidehustlepro

Announcements
Applications are now open for Shift, my 12-week coaching program designed to help experienced professionals package their expertise into a profitable offer, identify their first clients, and confidently launch their next chapter.
Learn more and apply at: https://sidehustlepro.co/shift

Social Media
Cynthia Bailey: Instagram @CynthiaBailey
Dana Hill-Robinson: Instagram @DanaHillRobinson
Glowissima: Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @Glowissima
Cocotique: Facebook @CocoTique, TikTok @CocoTiqueBeautyBox
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.