I Interviewed 40+ Entrepreneurs in 2023

Hey honeys and hustlers,

Season 3 of Honey & Hustle ended in May and the team has already started interviewing and post-production for season 4. We pulled some key takeaways, and our favorite moments, from season 3 into a huge special episode just for you. I interviewed folks from all industries – creators, small business owners, tech startups, non-profit founders, and food entrepreneurs. I was surprised to see the similarities in their struggles.

Putting this video together was eye-opening. It reflected one of my biggest goals with the Honey & Hustle podcast – to make finding solutions through storytelling accessible and easy to learn from. Here are a few of my biggest takeaways that I think you can apply to your entrepreneurial journey in 2024:

Your Support Network is a Priority

Building a healthy, supportive, and accessible support network was crucial to the success of almost everyone I interviewed.

Friends, family, mentors, sponsors, and other founders - keep them close.

It’s so easy to get lost in our work, forgetting that we’re more than our business or our skillset.

Non-Profits Have Financial Advantages

In talking with non-profit founders, I discovered that their funding opportunities allow for unique experimentation with business structures. 

Typically, when I think about how non-profits get their funding, I think about grants and fundraising. Since nonprofits don’t have to pay federal and state income tax and can receive a refund for any sales taxes they pay, this allows them to take risks that traditionally registered for-profit businesses may have difficulty doing.

If you’re thinking about creating a social impact brand or organization, and you don’t mind having a board of directors, starting a non-profit that in many ways operates as a for-profit business might be the way to go. 

Leadership is a Practice

Going from employee to employer can be a big jump for many who didn’t climb the corporate ladder long enough to be in a decision-making role or hiring position. 

In corporate roles, we’re often made to feel like there’s some disconnect between “leaders” and “employees.” You get to be one or the other, but not always both.

We all have the ability to be leaders, whether we own a business or not. It’s a process and a practice you continue to train. It’s not some gift that’s only bestowed on a chosen few. Even “natural leaders” must exercise that muscle to hone that skill.

Self-limiting beliefs around leadership capabilities are way too common and are holding founders back from reaching for the heights they should be. Stacey Ramos is among the many founders who shared her voice and experience in growing as a leader and crafting a workplace culture that she could be proud of.

Putting the “Why” Front and Center

Entrepreneurship (and life) is full of challenges.

Self-doubts, setbacks, and straight-up disasters are guaranteed to happen. It’s so important to stay focused on why you started your journey in the first place and why you’re choosing the path you’re on to reach your goals.

Your why is the foundation, and buildings crumble without a strong foundation. Knowing why you’re doing something, makes many other questions possible too.

Why should someone give me money? What makes me happy? How much money do I actually need to be happy and operate my business? Who do I work best with? What are the things I need to run my business successfully and sustainably? What could I be doing right now to reach my goals?

As I do my year-end reflection, these questions are among the ones I’ll answer as I prepare for the new year.

Surround Yourself with Big Thinkers

I often get asked if this podcast is all that I do. It’s not, but it is one of my favorite things that I do because it’s my first original video project. Original meaning it came from my own head, not from a client paying me, or from some growth guru on the internet telling me I should make one if I want to reach the proverbial 7 figure benchmark (read = vanity metric). I want to keep doing podcast interviews for as long as possible. These conversations breathe life into me, introduce me to people who will be part of my business tribe for life, and the response from people who have been helped and impacted by these conversations is never taken for granted or lost on me (especially if you keep shouting me out on Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube. haha).

Recording Honey & Hustle allows me to share space with folks who genuinely want to make a positive impact in their communities, ambitious founders, and incredible creators. Just being around people like this shifts your mindset into one that not only reaches for bigger goals - but into one that believes you can achieve them.

I’m incredibly privileged to have these conversations, and to craft a space where people feel comfortable sharing their stories with me is the honor of a lifetime. I started this podcast just before I went full-time into my business, and I can’t say that this didn’t have some sway in that decision. Thank you to those who listen, and an extra special thank you to any former guests reading this.

It’s the end of the year, and change is in the air! What’s changing in your business in 2024? What worked really well? What would you like to improve on? Reply to this email or drop a comment! Let’s chat/vent about it!

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Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Evoke Media and Staehle Media for audio and video editing, Looping in Alex for guest outreach, Intake Creative for helping write some of the posts you see here, Henry for the design of many of our physical merch items, and Danielle Clardy for any behind-the-scenes photos.