Side Hustle to Small Business

Maureen Monte is a Leadership & Team Consultant. In Season 1, Episode 4, she shared her story of transitioning from a career in IT consulting to running her own business. Maureen is back to answer the question, “Where is she now?” Monte is passionate about optimizing sports teams’ outcomes by focusing on each athlete and their unique strengths. This passion inspired Monte’s new book, which focuses on her work with over 1,400 athletes and coaches.

At 29 years old, Ben Knegendorf was driving a forklift at a Walmart Distribution Center and needed to make a change. He’s had quite the journey since then —from flipping real estate sale items on eBay, to selling tiny house products, to his newest business, Dropship Breakthru. Ben believes becoming an entrepreneur helped him overcome imposter syndrome. Hear how he built his confidence as he built his business.

The Underdog Family, or TUF, is a nonprofit based in Denver, Colorado, that provides website design services to small businesses 100% free of charge. TUF utilizes a team of highly skilled professionals as pro bono volunteers. Leading The Underdog Family is founder Chin Weerappuli, who believes that skill-based volunteering is one of the best ways to keep volunteers engaged with the mission of any organization.

Shaina Shiwarski is an avid traveler. Friends would ask her about her latest adventure whenever she returned from a trip, and a lengthy WhatsApp exchange would follow. Shiwarski knew there had to be a better way to share ideas and create friendships across the globe. Shaina created Legends, a private community of global travelers inspired by individual experiences. Legends’ mission is to give people the power to authentically connect with themselves, each other, and the world.

TiWanna Kenney is the founder of Astounding Auctions and shared the story of her side hustle turned small business in Season 1, Episode 5. In this episode, TiWanna is back to answer the question, “Where is she now?” Kenney shares how her business adapted to the COVID-19 event climate, when in-person auctions couldn’t take place and how she continues to be an advocate for diversity in the auction industry.

Priya Vij is the founder of Hapny Home, a new home accessories brand focused on the small design details that have the power to transform your space, starting with cabinet hardware. The name Hapny comes from the names of all the cities where founder Priya has lived and rented apartments - Houston, Austin, Portland, and New York. The Hapny Home launch collection includes solid brass knobs, cabinet pulls, and appliance pulls.

Leslie Zinn is the co-founder and CEO of Arden's Garden - a cold-pressed juice, smoothie, and vegan foods company on a mission to cultivate an oasis of health and wellness. Arden's Garden started in Leslie's mother Arden's kitchen in the early 90s. Twenty-five years later, Arden’s Garden has two production facilities in East Point, Georgia, 17 retail store locations throughout Metro Atlanta, and more than 1,000 partners in the Southeast region.

The tables are turned as host Sanjay Parekh is interviewed by friend, colleague, and podcast cohost Adam Walker. Sanjay started his first entrepreneurial venture in 2000 and has lived in the startup world ever since. Riding the ups and downs of startup culture, securing funding, and hiring staff, Sanjay has focused on being an advocate for other entrepreneurs in his roles as a VC, mentor, speaker, and podcast host.

Maureen Monte is a Leadership and Team Consultant and author of Destination Unstoppable. Maureen began her career as an engineer but eventually realized she was more than a problem solver; she was a "people problem solver". Hear how Maureen turned her side hustle into a full time business and how you can unlock the untapped talent on your team.  

This episode originally aired on June 24, 2019.

After serving in the US Army and enjoying a successful career in financial services, TiWanna Kenney found herself on stage hosting an auction. She fell in love with the work and the positive impact it can have on the lives of others. Here’s how TiWanna developed her talent and how she’s bringing diversity and inspiring change in her industry. 

This episode originally aired on July 1, 2019.