Shop Talk
Season 1
Pumpin’ Mamas
The Business of Hair
Unleashing Your Inner Strength
The Playful Mindset
Is Norwex® Right For You?
Hobby to Global Business
by Louanne Midgley
What do you do when an existing product doesn’t solve your problem? You may think about how you would change it to make it better, but that's usually as far as it goes.This was not the case with Wendy Armbruster. There must be a better way, Wendy thought, when she needed to pump occasionally in order to feed her baby. Wendy was a working mom and as such couldn’t always be available for breastfeeding. Out to solve her own poor user experience with existing pumping bras, Wendy engineered a much better, hands-free pumping bra, unwittingly creating a new product. Launched in 2008, Snugabell and the patented and award winning PumpEas󠅴e® Hands-Free Pumping Bra is a category favorite for the fourth trimester market worldwide. Wendy shares her story.
We all have one and for many of us, they are an absolute treasure. And once you find one who understands that rather important part of you, you really do feel like you’ve won the lottery. I’m talking about your hairstylist. In this episode of Shop Talk, I get the opportunity to ask everything I’ve ever wanted to of hairstylist and owner of Mint Hair Lounge and the newly opened Mint Blow Bar, Lisa Smith. This is literally a study in what it looks like to run a successful hairstyling business. Hairstylists are ultra creative as we know. But when they’re also owners, they have a whole other layer of responsibilities that we don’t usually get to see. This is your chance to go backstage, as Lisa generously discusses all things hair and the hair business.
Caroline Mundell is one tough cookie. She’s a true boss babe if there ever was one and in this episode of Shop Talk, Caroline shares her story of her why, her journey to becoming an Olympic Weight Lifting Champion and how she’s been pivoting for the last 18 months to a more adapted and flexible gym model. As the owner of two gyms, it’s no easy feat, but as you’ll find out, Caroline is not one to give up. Her incredibly positive outlook and infectious laugh will have you Googling her business and hitting the gym again. Unleashing Your Inner Strength is Caroline's motto. Wise words for all small businesses who are working through adversity.
Kirsten Anderson of Integrate Play Solutions joins Shop Talk host Louanne Midgley for a fascinating conversation about how play is integral to work. Not only is playing fun and releases dopamine, it is excellent for creative problem solving. Kirsten shares with us how she's on a mission to remind adults that the workplace is just as important to integrate play for optimal functionality as it was when we were children and learned through play how to use our imaginations to ponder big ideas and work together to solve our problems.
Lisa Koo Buysse has been a passionate Independent Norwex® Consultant for 10 years and she's just as much in love with the company and their products today as she was when she started in 2011. Lisa tells us about how Norwex® started from one product brought from Norway to Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada and how a savvy entrepreneur took the company global. Now Norwex® is in the homes of millions of people who are concerned about reducing chemicals, helping the environment, helping their wallets and most importantly improving their health and the health of their families. One cloth at a time is how Lisa describes her goal in helping people to change their buying and single use habits to ones that not only clean more effectively but more efficiently as well. Could this be the future of cleaning for millions more? Could you make the switch?
Mixed Media artist Kathleen Tennant will tell you that she was the polar opposite of an artist. She “fell into it” at a difficult time in her life and what started out as a hobby and art therapy has now become a business with global reach. Kathleen generously takes us through her story, her process and the evolution of her business. Her message encourages viewers to find people who are in your corner, nudging you forward and to see your business as a journey in not what you can’t do, but what you simply need to figure out.
Many small businesses have moved their know-how online, specifically to online courses. When posting to the participant group do you write or do you choose to go live with video. It's nerve wracking but more and more businesses are embracing video to help them get all the necessary engagement and personal factor. Tell Your Story Founder and Host Louanne Midgley chats with guest Katie Currie on why she chose video and how it worked out very well for her and her holistic nutrition reset programs.