Caroline Ouwerkerk, a leadership and career coach specializing in the social impact space. After working in the higher education sector, Caroline decided to pursue her passion for coaching and helping others through her leadership and career coaching business.

During this conversation, Caroline shares how her background in higher education and leadership development led her to start her own coaching business, focusing on helping individuals make meaningful career transitions and become effective leaders.

Caroline also shared her insights on the power of collaborations, her experiences building the Impact Leaders Incubator, and how creating flexibility in her work has allowed her to balance entrepreneurship with family life.

Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolineouwerkerk/
• Website: https://www.carolineouwerkerk.com/

Lindsey Caplan is the Founder of The Gathering Effect, her consulting firm that helps organizations design impactful gatherings and change programs. During our conversation, reflects on her transition from an internal learning and development leader to a business owner, sharing how a spark of inspiration in 2017 led to her entrepreneurial journey. She breaks down the process of identifying her niche and offers valuable insights into business model design for consultants. Finally, Lindsey also shared her insights on the importance of clarity in communication and building a business that aligns with one’s strengths.

Links:

• Website: https://www.gatheringeffect.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseycaplan

Jessica Wan is an Executive and Leadership Coach, and host of the Ampersand Manifesto Podcast. After starting her career in the arts and working in marketing roles at technology companies, Jessica decided to pursue her interest in coaching and building her own executive coaching practice.

During this conversation, Jessica shared how her background in marketing and leadership paved the way for her coaching practice, and how she validated her new business idea using principles from lean startup and product design. Jessica also shared her insights on building a diverse client base, the importance of aligning with your values, and her approach to patience and resilience as an entrepreneur.

Links

• Website: https://www.jessicawan.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamwan/
• Podcast: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-ampersand-manifesto-multi-4820144

In this episode of The Business Breakdown, Al Dea sits down with Kassy LaBorie, corporate trainer who left the corporate world to build her own virtual training business. Now, Kassy is in the middle of another transformation as she evolves as an entrepreneur to focus on keynote speaking. During this conversation, Kassy discusses her entrepreneurial journey and navigating seasons of change.

Kassy shares her experiences of transitioning from corporate roles to building her own business and the challenges and rewards that come with it. She dives deep into her decision to step into professional speaking, candidly reflecting on imposter syndrome, the discomfort of self-promotion, and the importance of staying true to her authentic self. Finally, Kassy offers valuable insights on building a successful and meaningful career on her own terms. This thoughtful conversation explores the importance of resilience, continuous learning, and how embracing discomfort can lead to growth.

Links

• Website: https://kassyconsulting.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassylaborie/

Kathy Oneto is a solopreneur, podcast host, and Founder of the Oneto Agency. After working in branding and marketing for large companies, Kathy decided to go off on her own, and to pursue a portfolio career that better aligned with her interests, values and aspirations.

During this conversation, Kathy reveals her thoughtful approach to business model design, emphasizing how solopreneurs can find alignment between their values and business strategy. She also discusses building a portfolio business and the importance of relationships in entrepreneurial success. Kathy also shared her insights on branding, sustainable ambition, and the lessons she’s learned as she transitioned from corporate life to running her own agency

Links

• Website: https://www.theagencyoneto.com/kathy-oneto
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-oneto/
• Podcast: https://sustainableambition.com/podcast

Kelsey Ley is an expert in manager development and the founder of a training company that focuses on enabling managers. During this conversation, Kelsey shares her entrepreneurial journey, starting from her background in dance education to launching her business focused on manager coaching and training.

Kelsey also discusses how she got started in her own business as well as how she has focused on evolving her offerings over time. Finally, Kelsey also spoke about the importance of business model design, and lessons that entrepreneurs can take to ensure the design of their business model matches their goals.

Links

• Website: https://www.kelseyley.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseyley/

In this episode of The Business Breakdown, host Al Dea chats with Matt Gjertsen, founder of Better Everyday Studios. Matt reflects on his journey from leading training and development at SpaceX to launching his own leadership development firm. He shares his gradual transition into entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of freedom and building a business aligned with his personal values. Matt also dives into the creation of his Leadership Accelerator sessions, a unique program designed to help new leaders in tech develop essential management skills. With insights on scaling a business, learning from early successes and failures, and the critical role of iteration in product development, Matt offers invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs looking to grow and evolve their businesses

Links

• Web: https://bettereverydaystudios.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/

Mark Heydt is a Co-Owner of Stoke Leadership, a leadership development firm. After 2 decades in corporate HR and leadership development Mark made the leap to start his own business, focused on "building better bosses." During our conversation, Mark spoke about how he was able to go off on his own, first as a solo leadership development business owner, and then pivoting to forming a partnership with his co-Founder and starting Stoke Leadership.

Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-heydt/
• Website: https://stokeleadership.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markheydt/