Emily Vaca, Founder & CEO of LA VACA Designhouse, talks about having a one-in-a-million idea, designing the iconic MINNIDIP pool, and what it’s like to take a huge bet on yourself. Tune in to learn: What it’s like to balance creativity and art (4:30) Why 4 am can be a game-changer (4:00) How to gain the courage to take a bet on yourself (29:00) Thi…

Steve Denton didn’t grow up knowing how to be accountable, he had to learn that skill throughout his life. Along the way, accountability turned into dependability and, more importantly, resiliency, which has helped him see his way through a journey filled with highs and lows. Tune in to learn: What does it take to learn accountability? (4:00) Why y…

Jackie Burke wasn’t interested in being an entrepreneur. As an engineer, she was very risk-averse. But when her own skin allergy had her searching for a hypoallergenic earring and coming up empty, she felt called to solve a problem - and in the process, started a business, Tini Lux, that has since become a solution for folks with sensitive ears eve…

To be an entrepreneur is to be constantly adapting. In a world where the market is ever-changing, it’s important to be able to shift, to refocus and rebrand… to be ready for whatever is coming next. Iva Pawling, the Founder & CEO of Richer Poorer, a California-based inner wear company with a cult following, knows a thing or two about having to thin…

Any entrepreneur is going to face competition – it’s the nature of the game. All you can do is make your product the best it can be and hope that your consumers feel the same. But sometimes, your timing is unique, making that competition even fiercer than normal. Amy Weisman had her work cut out for her. After she had her first baby, she knew two t…

The road to entrepreneurial success is long. It’s tedious. And there are points where it might make more sense to cut losses than it would be to keep forging onward. But sometimes, an idea gets bigger than just you – it becomes a movement… something that changes lives. “I was like, what happened, why do you not have water bottles,” Travis Rosbach s…

The world often wants to put people into boxes, to sift everyone into categories. It just seems easier sometimes: rich or poor. Successful or not. Worth listening to or worth tuning out. Right or wrong. Male or female. But there are people who are pushing back on those categories – people who believe that life can be richer without harshly-drawn li…

When Raili Clasen’s interior designer left just a week into the job, Clasen was left looking at a massive project that seemed daunting. But when she listened to her gut and decided to take a swing at designing the space herself, it opened up a world of possibilities that launched an incredibly successful business. “So I bought some business cards,”…

When Kelley Higney moved to Florida, she knew she’d face some challenges: She was a young mother in a new state. She was in a new house in a new town. But there was one problem she didn’t expect: her daughter’s severe reactions to mosquito bites. Higney would watch helplessly as her six-month-old daughter’s limbs would swell just minutes after bein…

If you’d asked Francois Kress what he thought he was going to be when he grew up, he probably would have told you that he was going to be a mathematician. It seemed like a very obvious answer, given his background. But life had other plans, and now Kress has arrived at the top of an industry he never expected, running a company he never could have …

Plot twits might be fun to read about in a story, but when it’s your life that’s getting upended or dramatically changed, you might not like it as much. Dashed dreams are among the hardest to pivot away from, because where do you go? Nadine Fonseca, co-founder and CEO of Mighty Kind, knows all too well the mental struggles that come with finding ou…

When we’re growing up, we’re always told that we can be what we want, we can do what we love, and we can have anything as long as we work for it. The harsh reality, though, is that for many people, the options are limited. When it comes to things like jobs, homes, or other huge aspects of life, there’s no Cheesecake Factory menu of choices for most…

The world of innovation is full of many unique challenges and conundrums, but perhaps none so painfully true as this: those who have access to the money don’t always have the ideas… and those who have the ideas often find themselves struggling to find the money. This problem is uniquely pronounced in one particular industry: beauty. “The brands can…

In finance, there’s a term commonly used when analyzing different investment options called “opportunity cost.” Opportunity cost is what businesses use to analyze the potential benefits — and potential costs — of choosing one option over another. But for today’s guest, the discussion of opportunity cost doesn’t start and end in boardroom finance me…

The 10,000 hour rule, popularized by author Malcom Gladwell, states that it takes about that many hours of dedication in order to achieve mastery in a given task. Thinking innovatively about creating new business opportunities is helped by understanding as much as you can about that industry, the players, the way they interact, who has the power an…

Have you ever been sitting around a campfire with friends, or riffing with your partner about some great business idea you had when you were walking the dog, or driving to the grocery store? We all get ideas that pop into our head when we see a need, have an unfilled want, or notice the way something we’re interested in could be done better. Someti…

Here are three words that might ring a bell: The scientific method. In its most basic form, the scientific method follows these steps: First, you identify the problem or question. Then you hypothesize a solution or outcome. From there, you design and run an experiment to test this prediction. And finally, you analyze the results from your test to s…

You might have heard someone tell you to “protect your yes.” Meaning, you should not feel obligated to agree to do things, participate, or take something on that you truly don’t want to do. If it doesn’t fulfill you in one way or another, why do it? In business, sometimes you can’t protect your yes, though. Sometimes, if you don’t say yes, you don’…

We’ve seen it time and time again — entrepreneurs build a business driven by an existing passion for a product or service. They then leverage that knowledge of an industry’s pain points to find new and exciting ways to innovate within it. But we’ve also heard stories of the exact opposite. The entrepreneurs with absolutely no industry experience th…

In a book there are chapters that, together, create not just a story, but an entire world or reality that you can transport yourself into. Each of our own lives is made up of similar chapters that form the whole story of who you are and what you have become. Entrepreneurs often take elements of their own story and inject them into the businesses th…

As Ernest Hemmingway wisely said, “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." But trusting blindly doesn’t come without risk and if someone ultimately proves they didn’t deserve your trust to begin with, it may already be too late.. That is the devastating lesson that Mitchell Hayes, founder and CEO of Los Sundays Tequila…

What makes for a good story? Is it the world building? The hero? The big plot twist? How can we be left feeling unsatisfied at the end of a 2-hour-long movie, yet be left in tears by a 30-second commercial? What separates the story that resonates and the one that falls flat? And what does any of this have to do with business? “I love brands — I lov…

‘I do.’ Those two words conjure up visions of wedding fayre, flowers, cake, brides, grooms. Marriage is a serious decision, complete with signed government documents and promises related to health and finances. If you break down a co-founder relationship, what you’ll find is a lot of those same critical components. Hours of time spent together on a…

There are some beloved characters in pop culture. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Yoda from Star Wars. And then, of course, Dora The Explorer… Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch. But for Ellen Bennett, the founder of multi-million dollar apron company Hedley and Bennett, that children’s characte…

Have you ever had an idea for a business or a product? If you are listening to this podcast, then the answer is most likely a resounding “yes!” But here’s a harder question… What did you do next? Maybe you jotted some things down in a notebook, or even went as far as making a business plan. But again I ask, what did you do next? Did a few weeks rol…

Oculus - a VR company acquired by Facebook for 2 billion dollars in 2014. Popsockets - the little pop out button that attaches to the back of your phone, a simple idea that is now making more than 100 million dollars in profit every year. And Tile - the bluetooth device that lets you find misplaced items, has partnered with Amazon and sold more tha…

What were you doing when you were 11 years old? Whatever it was, do you think it was shaping the person you are today? Not philosophically, I mean directly. Was the 11-year-old you learning the skills you’d need to succeed in the job you’re doing now? Very few people would answer yes to that question. Russell Aldridge is one of them. Russell has be…

Hey, Journey fans! It’s been a while, and I’ve been eagerly waiting to tell you something exciting… we’re back! Starting this Wednesday, we’ll be releasing weekly episodes highlighting the stories of some of the world’s most incredible small business leaders. They’ve risked it all, made big bets, and ridden the rollercoaster that is entrepreneurshi…

The founding story for any company is comparable to that of a great sports story: It typically features inspiring mentors, classic fumbles and recoveries, and of course, a team that has your back through it all. That’s why today’s episode of The Journey is a little bit different. Rather than showcase the success of one small business entrepreneur..…

Imagine this. You’ve been working your way up inside an organization for 20 years. Your kids go to school on the company campus. Your spouse works on campus. You go shopping, get gas, grab coffee, walk your dog, and essentially live, work, and play all on campus. And then, imagine, 2 decades in, leaving behind that “campus,” your career, and the en…

What if business can, at its core, be philanthropic? What if everything a business does is entirely derived from the motivation to do good? "We separate this idea of business and doing good in the world as two things that cannot be compatible with each other, but I think ... they can both exist. They should both exist together. You don't have to se…

You have a great idea for a product. It’s revolutionary, and it’s a project you need to bring to life. So, how do you build it? Unless you plan to handcraft every product, your next step is to perfect the design and then find a manufacturer to mass-produce it for you. But even when you find that “perfect” manufacturing partner, you still might want…

It’s no hidden truth that the lifestyle of an entrepreneur is in most ways a gamble. You’re risking finances, personal relationships, and often your own mental well-being. Yet it’s this BIG bet that so many smart, driven people are willing to make -- and it’s a gamble that today’s guest was willing to make more than once. “There was doubt of being …

When building a business, it is easy to be blinded by the big, flashy measures of success. And when your heart and mind are set on acquiring more customers, getting more investors, hiring more people, and scaling the business as fast as possible… you can quickly lose sight of the daily wins that lead to lasting growth with higher impact. "Defining …

The Journey is back for another season! Season 8 focuses on the stories of veterans-turned-entrepreneurs. We’ll dive into the backgrounds of men and women who chose to dedicate themselves to service to their country, and then took on another difficult role when they re-entered civilian life and became entrepreneurs, business owners, and CEOs. Episo…

We live in a diverse world full of different cultures, new ideas, fresh perspectives, and uniquely-themselves people. But oftentimes those who are seated around boardroom tables or walking up and down corporate halls don’t reflect this same level of diversity. In Kobie Fuller’s experience, this disconnect between what we see in our day-to-day lives…

Embracing a certain amount of delusional optimism is the hallmark of every entrepreneur. But what separates the dreamers from the doers? What differentiates those who would like to reach their goals and those who do reach their goals? “At that point I had three children, and staying the course was really me dedicating myself to not going back to wo…

Many of the institutions that we rely on every day have been built on decades-old infrastructure and outdated business philosophies. There are countless industries with roots in the past that have yet to face disruption or embrace innovation. One such institution is our legal and justice system. Great legal representation, education on the laws and…

How much of our destinies do we control? How much is predetermined? And how much do the environments around us play a role in who we can be or what we can do? As entrepreneurs, we like to think that we own our destinies, that we are 100% in charge. But the real world has a habit of reminding us that dreams are just that – dreams – and not everyone …

We do weird things to fit in… buy the new Nikes, cave to the Kombucha, even try goat yoga. Fads come and go all the time, but what happens when these “passing fads” don’t pass, and they bleed into our cultural definitions, instead? When they become destructive or harmful – all in the name of an arbitrary beauty standard that exists only in our head…

Being too young, or being too old. Having an accent. Overcoming a disability. Being female or a person of color. These so-called ‘boxes’ that we fall into shouldn’t play a role in how others see us or how we see ourselves, yet so often we find ourselves trapped by the burden of our labels. Dionna McPhatter has a different perspective. In her opinio…

A huge part of growing a business is understanding what can scale and what can’t. What will HR, sales, marketing, customer experience, employee experience, or even the foundational business model all look like as the company grows? The truth is that none of these systems will look exactly how they did when you started. It could be like comparing ap…

Every decision we make brings with it a certain amount of risk. Sometimes the risk is so small it’s negligible. Other times the risk is so daunting it scares you into submission. Going all-in on a new and novel business idea, saying no to the steady paycheck and yes to financial instability, investing your life savings with a co-founder you know we…

We’ve all heard some variant of the phrase “Good business is just about building good relationships.” But, as true as this statement is, it’s also true that building and maintaining good relationships is hard - it takes time, thought, passion, and connection. And perhaps one of the most challenging business relationships to nurture and keep healthy…

If you are a fan of this podcast, then you are likely a business owner, an aspiring entrepreneur, or at the forefront of innovation within a growing company. Today, you are the one creating jobs, but think back to when you were the one applying for them. How much did you get paid? Were you paid fairly? Were you paid what you were truly worth? These…

When you live in a world of curated feeds, it can sometimes feel impossible to know what’s real. Finding the companies and people who are making genuinely great products while maintaining the values that you support is like finding a needle in an ever-expanding haystack. And when you are the company trying to stand out in that haystack, how do you …

There’s an old saying that goes “Man plans, God laughs.” Things very rarely go according to plan. No matter how meticulously we think ahead, the path toward our goals is always subject to roadblocks and detours. But while the journey might rival Pan’s labyrinth, the BIG dream – your ultimate goal and your vision – lives unmoving at the end. “When I…

The Journey is on break this week, but don't let that get you down! We will be back next week with an all-new season focused on community-building inside and outside your organization. Don't miss it! --- Learn more about The Journey at mission.org/thejourney. The Journey is sponsored by our friends at Salesforce Essentials. We use Salesforce Essent…

As we grow up, moments of stark realization are inevitable. Our parents don’t actually know everything. Dinosaurs don’t still exist. A whole dollar isn’t really that much money. For Warren Schaeffer, one of those moments meant coming face to face with the darker side of entrepreneurship at a young age. “When I was 12 years old, my father's business…

Leading a team onto the battlefield of business – or quite literally a battlefield – isn’t for the faint of heart. Being a leader is about setting the route for others to follow; it’s a huge responsibility that often results in having to make extremely difficult decisions. “A month or two into my role as a platoon leader, I'm brand new leading a ta…