Entrepreneurially Thinking: Innovation | Experimentation | Creativity | Business

Joining us today is Mena Darre', Owner of Mena Darre' Photography and Video. In 2017, Mena stepped out on faith and quit her teaching job to pursue Mena Darre' full time to focus on professional branding. When Mena is not behind the camera, you can find her in the classroom working with students who have an interest in entrepreneurship and photography.  In this episode: Mena talks about her educational background and explains that she took her time figuring out what career really spoke to her soul. Mena says that it wasn't until some friends pointed out to her how well of a photographer she is that she considered making a career of it. Mena says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means building a life and career that you love and being able to provide opportunities for future generations.  Mena talks about self-identifying as an entrepreneur and recognizing her gifts and talents as an entrepreneur, which in turn manifests itself into a career and impacts the world. Mena says that her customer interactions

Joining us today is Fatimah Muhammad, Managing Director of Apiary @ The Park, a co-working and co-living space located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of St. Louis. Fatimah has had a passion for building communities and self-sufficiency most of her life and continues listening to the community and delivering on her promises, the needs of so many.  In this episode: Fatimah shares with us her many business experiences she has ventured on including one that took her to Africa and the inspiring journeys that followed. Fatimah says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means to follow your path, looking inward for your purpose, listening to yourself, trusting yourself, and to be a problem solver.  Fatimah tells us about her love for the community and building a stronger support system within that community. It was this passion that led her into her most recent venture Apiary @ The Park and what she calls the 'Queen-Bee Hive'. Fatimah explains the importance of getting organized and getting to know the people in the

Joining us today is Sara Stock, Founder and Managing Partner of Stock Legal and a sponsor of the Entrepreneurially Thinking Podcast. As a Corporate Attorney, Sara advises her clients in all aspects of the business lifecycle including entity formation, financing, general business matters, scaling, and mergers and acquisitions.  In this episode: Sarah talks about growing up in the midst of the family business that was run out of her childhood home. Through the ups and downs of business, Sara recalls wanting to be a trusted advisor when she grew up much like the advisors her parents relied upon.  Sara discusses the multitude of emotions that come with being a female entrepreneur. Sara says that fear is a huge factor when starting a business or becoming an entrepreneur but you must push past the fear and believe that when you jump, a net will appear.  Sara tells us about her concept of building a competitive advantage by getting out of the "office" and getting to know all of the like-minded service providers in t

Joining us today is Jeanet Wade, Managing Partner and Certified EOS Implementer of Business Alchemist. As a Certified EOS Implementer, Jeanet has helped businesses struggling with complexity and leadership alignment to be focused as a team on outcome achievement. An entrepreneur for 20 years, Jeanet loves helping companies implement strategic growth initiatives.    In this episode:  Jeanet tells us about her early years in her career in innovation and the many fun projects she took on. Jeanet says entrepreneurially thinking to her means to become fascinated by people because people are the common denominator between whether you fail or succeed.   Jeanet explains what compelled her to leave corporate life in order to venture out on her own journey of entrepreneurship. Jeanet says her specialty lies in the execution of helping companies achieve revenue through product and service development, pricing and placement, or through promotion strategies.   Jeanet explains what EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Sy

Joining us today is Katie Silversmith, Founding Partner of ThriveCo, a personalized co-working space located in Clayton, MO. Entrepreneurship and a passion for helping others have been in Katie's blood since childhood. Katie completed her Masters' of Social Work at Washington University, St. Louis, and in 2018, Katie and her husband Alex opened ThriveCo with one goal in mind - To help small businesses succeed.   In this episode: Katie tells us about growing up in St. Louis and fills us in on some of her earliest business ventures. Katie says as a child, she loved making and inventing and spent a lot of time selling those things door-to-door. Katie says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means having a 'the shy is the limit' mentality. Katie speaks of her lifelong passion for helping others through operations and building communities. Katie explains how ThriveCo works and who she intends to help through having a place for small businesses and entrepreneurs to connect with each other. Katie says that Thrive

Joining us today is Patrice Johnson, Owner of Patrice J. Bridal, St. Louis' first black-owned bridal retailer. Patrice has over 15 years of sewing experience and creating classic and timeless dresses for weddings, special occasions, and prom for women of all sizes and curves. Patrice says, "Fit is Key" and loves pattern making, drafting, draping, and making even the most curvaceous women feel great on their special day.    In this episode:   Patrice explains that hurricane Katrina forced her out of New Orleans and straight to St. Louis, Missouri. Patrice states that She learned at an early age how to sew and has always had an eye for fashion. Patrice says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means being able to design the life of your dreams.   Patrice talks about forming a relationship with her bridal clients that she works with and the importance of those relationships in order to keep your business performing at its best.   Patrice tells us how she conceived the bridal shop concept, built the business an

Joining us today is Andre Holman, Production Manager of STL-TV and Creator of MINE, YOUR Biz Networking Events. Andre is an experienced Production Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the government relations industry, Nonprofit organizations, Sales, Event Management, Team Building, and Media Relations. Andre carries a Bachelor's Degree focused on Communications-Electronic Media/Broadcasting from Missouri State University. In this episode: Andre tells us about growing up in St.Louis and how a shocking change in schools turned his interest towards TV and TV production. Andre says that entrepreneurially thinking to him means being a 'super-connector' and says he enjoys connecting people and loves seeing others shine when given the opportunity to do so.  Andre talks about finding balance in television coverage in a way that caters to not just one community but all communities and their needs. Andre and his team then took a look at those needs and branded STL-TV as a channel that airs many different

Joining us today are Steve Ewing and Danni Eickenhorst of Steve's Hotdogs. Steve is a longtime musician and owner of Steve's Hotdogs located in the Tower Grove East neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Steve, the lead singer for The Urge, started his business as a hotdog cart in 2008 after realizing St. Louis lacked a place that served fun food before and after live music shows. It didn't take long for St.Louisans' to realize that Steve's culinary creativity was worth coming out for all on its own. The accolades and business growth soon followed.    In this episode:  Steve and Danni discuss their early journeys into entrepreneurship, Steve with The Urge and Danni in Freelance work.   Steve fills us in on how the concept of Steve's Hotdogs came to be. He explains that while playing many of the Urge Shows, He noticed that there was a lack of food to be found outside the music venues - Steve's Hot Dog cart was born. Steve says that entrepreneurially thinking to him means being creative, finding partnership

Joining us today is Jeffrey Blair, Co-Owner of Eyeseeme African American Children's Bookstore. Jeffrey and his wife Pam opened their brick and mortar store 5 years ago based upon their own experience raising their children and finding it is difficult to find black children's literature. Jeffrey believes that education starts with self and says that he has seen first-hand how the reflective images in a book can resonate with African American children. In this episode: Jeffrey talks about his career in law and what experiences made him transition to be an entrepreneur in a different field. Jeffrey explains his life long passion of being involved in youth programs. Jeffrey says that entrepreneurially thinking to him, means solving problems.  Jeffrey goes into detail about the tipping point for him and his wife when it came to their children's schooling and the lack of children's books that included African American culture and history.  Jeffrey explains how his legal and tech background and his wife's banking ba

Joining us today is Johnnica Bolden, Owner of J Star Construction and COO of iJustOrder. Johnnica comes from a family of entrepreneurs, her Grandfather being her driving force. While helping her Grandfather, Johnnica learned everything from filing papers to learn how to process payroll and billing to bidding on contracts. With this vast experience and a love for the business, Johnnica knew that being an entrepreneur herself was a must! In this episode: Johnnica fills us in on her family entrepreneurship background and how she got her start as a business owner. Johnnica says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means thinking differently from the rest of the world and making your vision come to reality even if it means taking risks.  Johnnica tells us about her role as the owner of J Star Construction and how that came to be. She also discusses how she runs the North County, St. Louis business from Dallas, Texas.  Johnnica tells us about her newest business venture which is an app called ijustorder. She expl

Joining us today is Zach McGee, Founder, and CEO of Black Brew Tea, a specialty tea company that blends tisanes and teas to make great tasting herbal products. Zach comes from a long line of entrepreneurs and believes "you are what you drink". Zach was inspired to develop a bottled beverage as a way to set black brew tea apart in the market.  In this episode: Zach explains how Black Brew Tea came to be and talks 'Tea Community' jargon. Once a hobby to Zach, Tea Blends, and the science behind it came naturally to Zach so friends convinced him to make his blends available in the retail market. Zach says entrepreneurially thinking to him means putting the right things into your body and putting positive vibes out into the world.  Zach discusses some future business projects and fills us in on where Black Brew Teas are available locally. Zach tells us about a product of his that helps with viruses that can brew in your lungs.  Zach tells us how his process of creating and making Black Brew Teas happen. As a seaso

Joining us today is Kristy Jackson, serial entrepreneur and CEO of DK Solutions Creative Consulting, a firm that offers business inspirational coaching and marketing/media resources. Kristy is also the co-founder of the social synergy project and has been identified as a community connector and a strong advocate for closing the diversity gap in the St. Louis start-up community.  In this episode: Kristy talks about the need to shift and pivot in these unsure times as a way to keep her business sustainable. She talks about leaving the field of education after 20 years in order to take DK Solutions to the next level of profitability. Kristy says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means to think and see differently.  Kristy discusses how DK Solutions found a new niche of customers in response to Covid-19. She says that a customer asked if DK Solutions could use their expertise to provide a live taping of a memorial service so that loved ones who could not be present in person could also attend in spirit throu

Joining us today is Andrew Dearing, a geospatial entrepreneur and GeoFutures Initiative Project Lead for Spatial STL Advisors. Prior to joining Spatial STL, Andy was the CEO of boundless Spatial where he led the organization in over 200% growth in a 2-year period. Andy serves as an advisor to St. Louis University's GEOSLU program, he is on the advisory board for St. Louis T-Rex/GeoSaurus Innovation Center as well as serves as a co-chair for the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. In this episode: Andrew talks about growing up in a small town on a farm and how his college roommate piqued his interest in spatial technologies, which ultimately caused him to switch his major from Pre-Med to Aviation. Andrew says that Entrepreneurially Thinking means to him is thinking about something completely different and taking that leap and risk, being very passionate about something that you feel needs to be better and putting 100% of your energy into that something. Andrew defines what the geospatial industry

Joining us today are Dan Schaefer and Pat Barron, Founders of Native Pet, a pet food and nutrition company that makes organic, highly effective and limited ingredient pet supplements for cats and dogs. Pat and Dan are St. Louis natives, friends and passionate pet parents who were discouraged by the declining health of U.S. pets with more pets suffering from obesity, extensive health issues and shorter life spans.  In this episode:  Dan explains the long-running friendship that he and Pat have shared and explains that they were bouncing business ideas off each other, long before Native Pet was born. Dan tells us how the concept of Native Pet came to be and says that as first-time pet owners, they became very conscious consumers and realized that the marketing of a healthy pet product didn't exactly meet up with the product ingredient list. Dan says that entrepreneurially thinking to him means shining the light on the hardworking, most interesting people in business which are the entrepreneurs in the commun

Joining us today is Reshaunda Thornton, Founder of Better Vessel Nutrition. Reshaunda is a competent dietician and nutrition expert, a TedX and wellness speaker, consultant and author. Reshaunda prides herself on building a bridge between the desire to live healthy and to feel confident in one breathe as she aligns the connection of nutrition to life, where they can live together and be a better representation of self and purpose. In this episode: Reshaunda tells us about moving to St. Louis from Houston, Texas twelve years ago to attend St. Louis University in their graduate program. Upon completing her studies in dietetics, Reshaunda realized she wanted to help people live healthier lives and says entrepreneurially thinking to her means recognizing you've got one life to live and how important it is to decide how to live that life. Reshaunda enlightens us on the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist. She says that both are great, however, a nutritionist is food-focused practice and does not requ

Joining us today is Julius B. Anthony, Founder and President of St. Louis Black Authors of Children's Literature, an organization committed to ensuring that all children are confident and competent readers by the end of third grade. Julius is a graduate of Howard University and is particularly proud of his current upstart 'The Believe Project'. Julius is also the Founding Principal of City Academy, a highly successful independent day school located in North St. Louis City.   In this episode:  Julius explains how he got his start in the field of education and his role as Founding Principal of City Academy, the first independent school in North St. Louis. He explains how the opportunity came to be and how he overcame the challenges of starting a school from scratch within Mathews-Dickey Boys' and Girls' Club.   Julius talks about establishing a curriculum and the importance of building the education around the student and how that method allows ANY child to thrive. He explains that he felt a need to hire

Joining us today is Dasha Kennedy, Founder of The Broke Black Girl. Dasha is a millennial Financial Coach whose 'real talk' coaching and strategies are helping women of color to get ahead. Dasha has more than a decade of experience working as an accountant and default counselor. She prides herself on leading women through decisions around different aspects of financial well being. In this episode: Dasha tells us about growing up in St. Louis and attending Lindenwood University. She talks about an 'angel' she met while working at an insurance agency; this 'angel' steered Dasha to a career in accounting. While working in accounting, She realized that while she was keeping the company she was working for financially in line, her own financials were in distress. Dasha says it was this experience that triggered her inner entrepreneur. Dasha explains how she created a safe-space which allowed her to coach others on achieving their own financial freedom. Dasha says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means always

Joining us today is Valeria Rodriguez, Artist and Creator of Shine In All Shades, an adult coloring book that celebrates and uplifts women of color in under-represented areas. Valeria is a multi-disciplined artist, graphic, and web designer who is hard-working, dedicated, bilingual, and results-oriented.    In this episode:  Valeria talks about her journey and life events that led her to the St. Louis region. Valeria says that after her life took an automatic and mundane turn she decided that she needed to re-spark her inner creative. Valeria says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means to be driven by your passions and to actively pursue your dreams with wholeheartedness and without fear.   Valeria fills us in on her vision and all the details of Shine in All Shades coloring book. She explains her frustration with the lack of representation of the African-American woman. She says her books include words of hope, poems, affirmations, and quotes from the likes of Maya Angelou, Michelle O'Bama, and Ruby De

Joining us today are Charlene and Darren Young, Co-Owners of The Fattened Caf, a catering and pop-up restaurant business. What started out as a hobby for these two, has now blossomed into a budding side hustle. Charlene attributes her Filipino heritage and family recipes for the concept of The Fattened Caf, but it is their love of cooking that has made their business an overnight sensation. In this episode: Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore updates us on the ups and downs of Real Cannabis Company and says they have lots of balls in the air right now and are looking forward to them landing in all the right places in the future. Also in this episode: Charlene and Darren discuss how they both ended up in St. Louis after having grown up and living in Los Angeles. Entrepreneurship runs in both families and Charlene feels that her interest in Urban Planning comes from her Grandparents. Charlene says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means understanding and believing you are a part of a community. Darren, a self-proclai

Joining us today is Bronwyn Morgan, Founder and CEO of XEO Air. Bronwyn is a certified drone pilot and is also the founder of Airversity Drone Academy and Consulting, where she develops strategic business models and disruptive strategies. Bronwyn has worked with companies such as Delta Airlines, Proctor and Gamble as well as The Coca-Cola Company. Bronwyn says that entrepreneurially thinking to her means approaching life with a robust and open viewpoint to see how things look to you and recognize a way to solve problems and sharing that with everyone around you.   In this episode:  Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore discusses how she has kept REAL Cannabis Company investors interested and vested in the endeavor and recognizing that the team continues to fight the fight so that the business they have invested in can succeed and make a positive impact in the community and in the industry.   Also in this episode:  Bronwyn tells us about her journey into entrepreneurship and how she found herself working in the inn