Episodios

  • 46. The Community You Need to Succeed with Baking Champion Martin Sorge
    Feb 13 2024
    Hello Friends, I want to thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. We explored the greatest and most challenging parts of entrepreneurship together and I hope you have felt the deep love and support that I have felt in making this for you. I am making the difficult decision to pause the podcast indefinitely as I focus more of my energy on my business and family. I'm so grateful that you have met me here every week and I hope you use this archive of episodes as inspiration and guideposts in your entrepreneurial journey. Peace! ---------------------------- Running a small business can feel lonely and overwhelming at times. That’s why it’s so important for entrepreneurs to build a strong network and community. Connecting with other business owners provides valuable mentorship opportunities and helps you avoid feeling isolated in your journey. In this episode, host Toa Green speaks with Martin Sorge, winner of The Great American Baking Show, about his experience shifting from supporting small businesses to becoming a business owner himself. Martin shares how vital it is for entrepreneurs to reach out to peers for advice, resources and collaborations. In this episode, you’ll hear Martin’s best tips for entrepreneurs including: The importance of connecting with other business owners and building a community of mentors. Spending dedicated time working “on” your business, not just “in” your business. Being ambitious in setting goals for yourself even if it feels uncomfortable.   * * * Thank you to our sponsors! Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/    Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com   Resources and Links Mentioned in Episode Listen to Chef Ouita Michel’s episode on turning a disaster into a success Check out Martin’s “A-maize-ing Cro-corn-bouche in the finale of the Great American Baking Show”   Quotable Moments From the Episode  “The self-promotion part of entrepreneurship is always hard, especially if that's not something you're used to. I always advise when I talk to people that you're robbing the world of your greatness if you don't share it.” - Toa Green  “As an entrepreneur, always be connecting with other folks, making sure that you are reaching out both to tell people about your business and what you're doing. And don't hesitate to ask for help or share challenges when you know you have a trusted friend or a partner.” - Martin Sorge “Look at the big picture and plan for the future. Carve out 20% of your time for it. That might seem like a lot, but it’s important to work on your business and think about how you can do things better, or what the future looks like, or how to improve what you're doing.” - Martin Sorge “I always tell people when starting a small business, it's not necessarily forever. It's something you try out. If it's something you love, keep it going. But it doesn't have to be forever. You can always change your mind or change course.” -  Martin Sorge   Connect with Martin! Martin's Baking website Martin's Instagram Martin's Substack Martin's Consulting Firm Martin’s Bio Martin Sorge is the winner of the sixth season of The Great American Baking Show. He is a home baker, recipe developer, and food writer based in Chicago.    Martin has loved baking since he set the microwave on fire, making a biscuit as a wee youngster. Luckily, he's been doing a little bit of learning since then. As a self-trained baker, Martin was taught by dozens of blogs, a vast cookbook collection, the local public library, and the people around him because he loved the communities where he grew up. He has also spent countless hours helping small businesses thrive within their cities and neighborhoods. As a former economic development coordinator and now small business consultant, Martin understands the vibrancy that small businesses create for their communities. Connect with Toa! C&B Podcast website C&B Ice Cream website C&B Podcast's Instagram C&B Substack *Production by Four Eyes Media*
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    36 m
  • 45. Crafting Your Digital Front Door: Building a Welcoming Business Website
    Jan 30 2024

    One of the best things you can do for your business is to create your home on the internet — your website. With social media platforms coming and going based on trends and demographics, having your own website is a piece of the internet landscape that you specifically own. It’s a special way to connect with your customers and build trust and repertoire with them.

    In this episode, Toa Green shares insight into building a functional yet polished website for your small business. With prior experience as a web designer, Toa breaks down the key components to focus on when crafting your digital home. 

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • The easiest DIY website building platforms to use if you're not a designer.

    • A step-by-step process to map out your website’s structure before you design.

    • Why you should always view your website through the eyes of your customer.

     

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    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/  

    Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com

     

    Resources and Links Mentioned in Episode

    • Explore different website building platforms: Wordpress, Squarespace, Wix, Canva

     

    Quotable Moments From the Episode 

    “Keep it simple. If you are just starting, it does not have to be flashy or fancy. You do not have to get a photographer, a copywriter, or a web designer to do this. You can do this. There are so many resources out there and great platforms that are great DIY platforms for your website.” - Toa Green

    “Don't overcomplicate it; just keep it simple. Getting the main information up and having something published is better than having nothing at all.” - Toa Green

    “People will say that a website is a business card on the Internet. But I feel like it can be so much more than that. It is a tool that allows you to connect with your customers or clients. It's a way to show off your personality so that people understand who you are.” - Toa Green

     

    Connect with Toa!
    C&B Podcast website

    C&B Ice Cream website

    C&B Podcast's Instagram

    C&B Substack



    *Production by Four Eyes Media*

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    13 m
  • 44. The Basics of Wholesale: How to Expand Beyond Your Doors Successfully
    Jan 16 2024

    You've arrived at a point where you're considering expanding your business reach. Wholesale might be the perfect next step to grow your brand and products. The magical moment of seeing your products out in the wild next to other brands you admire is such a major moment in any business and requires a lot of determination and planning. 

    In this episode, Toa Green gives an honest overview of her wholesale journey with insights into the positives and the challenges of adding wholesale to your business. Toa takes the mystery out of what it’s like to prepare and then sell your product B2B. 

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • The benefits and challenges that come with wholesale based on over 10 years of experience.

    • Creative and cost effective ways to experiment with wholesale.

    • What to consider in terms of time, money and mental preparation before taking the wholesale leap.

    A hustle mindset is required to build relationships and push through rejection. But for the right business at the right point, wholesale might be the growth stage that takes you to the next level.

     

    * * *

    Thank you to our sponsors!

     

    Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/  

     

    Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com



    Resources and Links Mentioned in Episode

    • Check out the first restaurants where C&B ever sold their ice cream at Smithtown Seafood and County Club in Lexington KY

     

    Quotable Moments From the Episode 



    “Being able to achieve what we've achieved in the wholesale realm has been able to provide me with the experience that some goals are not impossible for us anymore. That is a tremendous mind shift that I think makes being in business so much more fun.” - Toa Green

     

    “I think one of the best things we did was to find local [wholesalers] who understood what we were trying to do, who appreciated the local ingredients and the quality of what we were producing, and were also willing to partner with us as a business.” - Toa Green



    Connect with Toa!
    C&B Podcast website

    C&B Ice Cream website

    C&B Podcast's Instagram

    C&B Substack



    *Production by Four Eyes Media*

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    15 m
  • 43. Stop Burnout: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Wellbeing
    Jan 2 2024
    Burnout is real; chronic distress over long periods has detrimental effects on the body and the mind that can leave even the most passionate entrepreneur totally drained. No matter how much you love what you do, if you’re not aware that long hours and single focus will eventually make you hit a wall, it will manifest in other ways—exhaustion, apathy, and even illness. So how do you course correct when you've been barreling 120 miles per hour down the burnout highway? In this episode, Tanya Tarr, behavioral scientist and recovered-former burnout, joins host Toa Green to provide science-backed advice and practical strategies to pull yourself from the clutches of burnout. Tanya explains that healing from burnout looks different for everyone but requires reframing your mindset and making small, yet consistent changes. She provides insights into managing energy, establishing micro-moments of rest, and shifting from self-care to "group care." In this episode, you’ll learn: The warning signs that signal you're headed towards burnout so you can catch it early. Why community and belonging help create emotional resilience against burnout. Actionable ways to create small "triage pockets" in your day to recharge. Why wellbeing is not a fluffy idea - it's a management issue that impacts yourself and your team. The steps to prevent and address burnout won't happen overnight. But implementing Tanya's wisdom will set you up to sustainably run your business without sacrificing your health and sanity along the way. *** Thank you to our sponsors!  Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/     Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com   Resources and Research Mentioned in Episode Take a free quiz made by Cultivated Insights and find out where you are on the Burnout Index Watch Tanya’s video on “Busy to Burnout” to learn where you are on the stress scale  Sign up for Tanya's Free Burnout class and get actionable triage tactics Read Tanya’s article on Forbes specifically about tips to close the burnout gap Check out the research on Asian Americans and their much higher risk for Type II Diabetes  Read the NPR article on Asian Americans and their much higher risk for Type II Diabetes  Listen to APA’s podcast with Dr. Christina Maslach — the primary and recent expert on workplace burnout Learn about the Roseto Effect (a 50-year longitudinal study) - How belonging might strengthen our heart health Go deeper into habit formation and read Dr. Phillipa Lally's research — Spoiler Alert: it actually takes on average about 66 days to adopt a new habit (likely closer to 90 days).  Get to know the differences between Stress and Eustress   Quotable Moments From the Episode  “Burnout is not exhaustion. Burnout is not boredom, and burnout is not something that happens on a short timeline. It's a set of conditions and a sort of chronic set of conditions that is actually the byproduct of living a life out of balance. It's what's called an oblique, complex problem. So burnout is the result of unmanaged or mismanaged chronic distress.” - Tanya Tarr   “Avoiding things that help you feel happy or give you pleasure is a clear red flag that you're probably headed into burnout. Don't wait until you're burnt out. Don't wait until it takes over that far. If you are exhausted and you wake up and you don't feel rested or if you haven't given yourself a day off in longer than two weeks, as a business owner, you have an obligation to pay attention to that.” - Tanya Tarr   “When you're dealing with a chronic issue, a pill or a shot or a trip is not going to save you because the dysfunction has occurred over probably decades. You change it by making very small, consistent changes.” - Tanya Tarr   “So I actually believe negotiations are very much connected to burnout. I'm fond of saying that burnout is the negotiation that you lost with yourself.”  - Tanya Tarr   Connect with Tanya! Tanya's Cultivated Insights website Tanya's Instagram Tanya's LinkedIn Tanya’s Writer Archive on Forbes   Tanya’s Bio Tanya Tarr is a behavioral scientist and integrative coach. She runs her own business - Cultivated Insights - where she delivers learning and development training for a wide variety of global corporations, Small to Medium Size Businesses, and organizations, as well as teaches wellbeing for helpers. Tanya is also a columnist and senior contributor with Forbes, where she covers workplace wellbeing, burnout recovery, negotiation technique and equal pay.    She's not just an observer of burnout - she recovered from severe workplace burnout that resulted in Type II prediabetes, which she managed to reverse...
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    37 m
  • 42. Reflect, Plan, Thrive: Year End Lessons Toward Creating Next Year’s Roadmap
    Dec 26 2023

    You've arrived at the end of the year. The ups and downs of the business came and went, and you made it! Now it's time to take a moment and reflect on what went well and what didn't go well. So whip out your planner and favorite sticky notes, and get ready to start a process that will help you create a strategic roadmap that builds on past successes. Strategic planning in the hands of an entrepreneur is a flexible framework where you stay curious and pick out the patterns that will guide your business for the next year.

    In this episode, Toa shares her tips on how she conducts her yearly reflection and how she stays curious picking out patterns in the business. She guides you through how gaining insights from the past year is incredibly invaluable to your sanity and the health of your business moving forward.

    In this episode, you learn to:

    • Reflect on the past year as an entrepreneur to uncover valuable insights for growth and success.

    • Learn from experiences to leverage wisdom for future business decisions and strategies.

    • Prioritize areas of improvement to maximize business potential and achieve greater success.

    • Seek feedback from different perspectives to gain valuable insights and fresh ideas for business growth.

     

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    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/  

    Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com

     

    Resources Mentioned in Episode

    • Check out Toa’s favorite brainstorming tool: Giant Post It Notes

    • Check out Toa’s favorite planning tool for the year: Magic Foldable Calendar

     

    Quotable Moments From the Episode 

    “One of the things that I really want to emphasize when you're looking at that ‘Did Not Work' list is that you don't have to be tied to things just because you've just always done it that way. And I think that's the whole story of entrepreneurship, is how do these companies last 30 years, 100 years, 150 years? They didn't do it by doing the exact same thing all the time forever and ever, amen…you have to change and you have to adapt all the time.” - Toa Green

    “I think it's important to evaluate what you're doing. Is it serving you? Is it serving your business? Is it serving your team? And if it's not, it either should just get killed or it needs to evolve somehow. I feel like that is the task of any entrepreneur — always figuring out this puzzle of what's working and what's not working.” - Toa Green



    Connect with Toa!
    C&B Podcast website

    C&B Ice Cream website

    C&B Podcast's Instagram

    C&B Substack



    *Production by Four Eyes

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    15 m
  • 41. Find Peace and Purpose: Harnessing Intuition to Guide Your Business
    Dec 19 2023

    In the chaotic world of entrepreneurship, finding purpose and peace can be a challenge.  If you haven’t already tapped into your own personal belief system to guide your business journey, you may find your internal compass lacking when it comes to making decisions. Are the fires that stoked your business drive cooling as you’re constantly dealing with a bottom line that isn’t fueling your values and your long term goals?

    Well, it’s time to stop for a minute and focus on what you believe, what you want to accomplish (beyond paying the bills) and how to spark your intuition so that it matches up with what your core values are. Join our host, Toa Green, as she explores the importance of constructing a personal belief system to guide your actions and decisions in business. 

    In this episode, you learn to:

    • Build a personal belief system to guide your entrepreneurial journey.

    • Cultivate the power of community for your business growth.

    • Learn to make decisions with your intuition as your compass.

    • Explore the benefits of integrating spirituality into entrepreneurship.

     

    * * *

    Thank you to our sponsors!

     

    Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/  

     

    Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com



    Quotable Moments From the Episode  

    “If you can't stop thinking about doing this thing, it's not going to go away until you do the thing. You’ve got to make peace with figuring out how you're going to do the thing or you're going to live the rest of your life with regret.” - Toa Green

    “As a business owner, you're making decisions all the time. The decision fatigue and trying to figure stuff out when there are zero guidebooks is just hard. It's really hard. For me, even if I don't make the right decision, I know that I did it in good faith. I will forgive my ten steps back self for the decision that she made because she didn't know. Those kinds of mindsets and mantras are things that help me run the business.” - Toa Green

    “Sometimes making the decision is about what's in your gut and what you feel and what you put your faith in. And that has probably been one of the most helpful ways that we have been able to grow our business and build it to what it is today.” - Toa Green




    Connect with Toa!
    C&B Podcast website

    C&B Ice Cream website

    C&B Podcast's Instagram

    C&B Substack



    *Production by Four Eyes Media*

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    12 m
  • 40. Applying Principles of Parenting to Your Business: (and Surviving It All In the Process)
    Dec 12 2023

    When you are a parent and the CEO of your own business it is just about all you can do to keep your head above water. You want to give attention to your business, but you don’t want to neglect your family in the process. Toa Green wants to encourage you that being intentional about how you manage your time will give you balance in these areas and have the added bonus of making you a better boss and parent. 

    Toa shares her personal journey of balancing the roles of being a CEO and a parent. Discover how she learned to integrate these two demanding worlds and the surprising ways parenthood enhanced her leadership skills. 

    In this episode, you learn to:

    • Shift your mindset around being a CEO and a parent.

    • Enhance your leadership skills through the experiences of parenting.

    • Discover how being a parent infuses efficiency and compassion into your professional life.

    • Explore ways to redefine success without falling into the trap of comparison.

     

    * * *

    Thank you to our sponsors!

     

    Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/  

     

    Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com



    Resources Mentioned in Episode

    • For tips on finding balance and creating a new mindset on accomplishing your goals, check out EP 30 with Guest Emily Ley



    Quotable Moments From the Episode 

    “Go back to your center and find what is important.” - Toa Green

    “I know that at the end of all this when I look back and ask myself, ‘What are the things that I accomplished?’, I will look back and really want to make sure that I spent all the time and attention I needed on those kids. I won't ever look back and think, ‘Oh, I wish I had had another store open or I wish I had had half a million more in sales.’” - Toa Green

    “Don't be afraid to set boundaries, because when you are working from home running your business and your kids are all up in your face, it's very easy to blur all of the boundaries. I think what has helped me through time and through my progression as a parent and business owner is to really focus on what you can do and set some realistic expectations.” - Toa Green



    Connect with Toa!
    C&B Podcast website

    C&B Ice Cream website

    C&B Podcast's Instagram

    C&B Substack



    *Production by Four Eyes Media*

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    13 m
  • 39. Why Over-The-Top Customer Service Matters for Your Business
    Dec 5 2023

    Have you ever witnessed the remarkable power of exceptional customer service? Customer service is not just a business strategy, it's a way to forge lasting and authentic connections with your customers. But what happens when a disgruntled customer walks through your doors or leaves a tough review? 

    Toa Green learned through lived experience that kindness and empathy can turn even the most dissatisfied customer into a loyal advocate. By utilizing a structured response system to reviews and empowering her employees to delight customers, Toa Green has transformed her business into a destination where her loyal customer base comes to spend their big and small moments in life. Get ready to unlock the secrets behind outstanding customer service on this episode of the Crank and Boom Podcast.

    In this episode, you learn to:

    • Turn negative experiences into positive ones and leave customers feeling delighted and valued.

    • Utilize feedback and reviews as a powerful tool to improve your business and exceed customer expectations.

    • Cultivate kindness as a customer service strategy that fosters strong relationships and creates memorable experiences to keep customers coming back for more.

     

    * * *

    Thank you to our sponsors!

     

    Goldbelly | Find the most famous, most regional iconic foods from around the country–including Crank & Boom Ice Cream–and ship it all right to your door at goldbelly.com/  

     

    Holly Hill Restaurants | 9 unique locations in Kentucky that celebrate the connection of family, to farm to table. Find stories, recipes, how-to's, and curated gifts by visiting hollyhillandco.com



    Resources Mentioned in Episode

    • Read a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on customer service and consumer behavior

    • Sign up for Square for your POS system: https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale

    •  TripAdvisor, Google, and Yelp are all platforms to receive and monitor online reviews



    Quotable Moments From the Episode 

     

    “Over-the-top service is a hallmark of how Crank & Boom conducts its day to day operations. We want people to leave every experience feeling not just satisfied, but overjoyed and delighted.” - Toa Green

    “You just never know where people are in life. And you also don't know what their story might be. Maybe they're acting in some terrible way because something terrible has happened to them; we don't know. A lot of times people just want to be understood. If you can meet people at that place instead of letting it get to you or having it dive into your emotions, a lot of those same people will come back and it will be worth the effort you put in.” - Toa Green

    “Reviews are a huge asset, especially if you're not on the front line getting a gauge on how customers [are served] and how people are feeling. People love sharing, so being able to have that feedback is so invaluable for us.” - Toa Green

    “I have always challenged our team that we have to be appreciative of the people that come in our doors. These customers allow us to do what we do. Being able to reframe how you think about customers is something that will be revolutionary for your business.” - Toa Green




    Connect with Toa!
    C&B Podcast website

    C&B Ice Cream website

    C&B Podcast's Instagram

    C&B Substack



    *Production by Four Eyes Media*

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    14 m