In this episode, we share with you our top 10 Asheville gifts for our 2019 Holiday Gift Guide. Whether you’re simply looking for a unique present or you aiming to shop locally, we hope this episode provides inspiration!
Here’s What You’ll Learn
Our top 10 Asheville gifts
Why we love each gift
The story behind each maker
Show Notes
In addition to recording this podcast, we also wrote a blog post that outlines all 10 Asheville gifts for our Holiday Gift Guide. Read the Asheville Makers Gift Guide blog post.
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
“We’ve had to get a lot more focused on how we compete —and it’s made us a better company.”
– Leah Wong Ashburn
Here’s What You’ll Learn
The history and evolution of Highland Brewing
Highland’s rebranding process
Challenges specific to the microbrewery business
Highland’s marketing partnership and community building strategy
Sneak ‘listen’ about Highland’s new location in the S&W building, slated to open in Spring 2020
Leah’s advice for those trying to “make it” in Asheville
Show Notes
Highland Brewing is one of Asheville’s oldest, most beloved breweries. They are the largest brewery native to the state of North Carolina. Connect with them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Asheville Bee Charmer is the company that worked to install beehives on Highland’s rooftop.
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/leah_ashburn_highland_brewing.jpg13342000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-12-10 12:29:202020-08-29 15:03:50033 – Leah Ashburn, President of Highland Brewing, on the Evolution of a Microbrewery
“Somebody told me something that was very, very important. It’s that: luck is not luck —it’s preparation… Opportunities will come all day long, but if you’re not prepared, you’re not prepared… And ‘luck’ is when preparation and opportunity meet.”
-Honey
Honey’s personality and energy are so infectious that she’s built a global audience of friends, fans, and supporters. We have a feeling after you hear her story, you’ll be a supporter too.
Here’s What You’ll Learn
Honey’s story of how and why she started Different Wrld
Crowdfunding best practices (and how to compare platforms)
The importance of email marketing (and keywords to avoid when sending them)
How Honey has built a brand community through hosting pop-up events
Community in Asheville and Honey’s thoughts on the difference between diversity and inclusion
Honey’s favorite things to do in Asheville
Honey’s definition of “Making It” (in the Bonus Audio)
Show Notes
Different Wrld is a lifestyle brand focused on curating collections of apparel and accessories. The encourage inclusive community spaces, creator collaboration, and personal empowerment. Their products are ethically made and sourced with thought and intention. Connect with them on Instagram.
I Fund Women is a crowdfunding platform that supports female entrepreneurs.
IndieGoGo is another crowdfunding platform ideal for small entrepreneurs, artists, and creatives.
Honey’s Favorite Things to Do / Places to Go in Asheville:
Ware – A sustainable lifestyle retail store (P.S. we interviewed the founder of Ware in episode 004)
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/honey.jpg13342000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-12-02 22:12:282020-08-29 15:01:27032 – Honey of Different Wrld on Building a Brand and Community, Crowdfunding, and Inclusion
“Appreciation means two things: It means to grow and it means thankfulness. And I do believe that appreciation is a form of currency and people can show that they appreciate you with money. One of the ways to allow for that, as a business owner, is to tell really meaningful stories about the work that you’re doing.”
In this episode, the two of us sit down and talk about the meaning behind “gratitude,” money, and three different ways to price your product or service.
Here’s What You’ll Learn
Why Tony doesn’t like the word “gratitude” and the word he prefers to use instead
A technique that can help you prioritize what to spend your money
Three different ways you can price your product (and why you want to understand the first two but use the third)
What we’re most thankful for this year
Show Notes
During this episode, we mentioned two of our favorite “money” books.
Busting Loose from the Money Game by Robert Scheinfeld – We know, we know —the title of this book is quite cheesy. Nevertheless, this read has completely transformed Tony’s relationship with and perspective on money. We highly recommend it to anyone who has ever experienced “money shame.”
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi – Another finance book with a cringeworthy title but fantastic information. This book should be required reading for all adults! A personal finance guru, Ramit teaches you how to get your personal finances in order and shares so many genius money hacks. Open it to a random page and read for a minute and the book will have already paid for itself.
Top-Down Pricing: Revenue-focused pricing based on the market
Bottom-Up Pricing: Profit-focused pricing based on lifestyle
Appreciation-Based Pricing: About massive value creation and storytelling
Curious to learn more about what we do?
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/makingit-9.jpg13362000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-11-26 13:35:332020-08-29 14:57:53031 – Appreciation, Money, and Three Ways to Price Your Product (Thanksgiving Episode)
“I did find my life’s calling very early on in life which is coaching. I love training. I love staying physically fit. But I really don’t care about it as much as I care about my athletes.” – Zach Greenwald
In this episode, we interview Zach Greenwald, co-founder of Strength Ratio, a strength-training and Olympic weight lifting gym located in Asheville, NC.
Here’s What You’ll Learn
The Strength Ratio approach and philosophy
How Zach started Strength Ratio (note: it’s not your average gym start-up path)
The inverted gym growth model he followed and how it led to their success
How pain and emotions are an important part of an athlete’s training
The single best marketing tactic that has worked for Strength Ratio
Why taking the time to care, talk to, and listen to your customers is crucial
Strength Ratio’s unique follow-up and onboarding sequence
Zach’s daily routine
Zach’s favorite things to do in Asheville
Show Notes
Strength Ratio is a team of coaches who specialize in improving health and performance through sustainable training. They coach strength sport competitors, endurance athletes, youth athletes, those who want to recover from injury, those who are new to training, and everyone in between.
They offer remote coaching to athletes all over the world and in-person coaching at their Asheville, NC gym headquarters.
Connect with them on their website, Facebook, Instagram. You can also listen to their podcast called “Strength Ratio” available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and more.
Little Bee Thai – “If you don’t like Little Bee Thai then you simply don’t like authentic Thai food.”
Curious to learn more about what we do?
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/zach-strength-ratio.jpg13342000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-11-18 23:19:592020-08-29 14:53:34030 – Zach Greenwald of Strength Ratio on Sustainable Fitness, Dealing with Pain, and Connecting with Customers
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/downtown_asheville2.jpg13342000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-11-12 14:28:532020-08-29 14:49:21029 – Five Marketing Ideas to Help Your Business Make It in Asheville
“If something goes wrong or a client’s not happy, there’s nobody else to blame but me. There’s no boss that can handle it, there are no other employees to take the blame. I am the only person accountable.” – Alyssa Phillips
In this podcast episode, we interview Alyssa Phillips, founder and owner of Amp’d Designs. She’s a graphic designer in Asheville specializing in logo design, branding, print design, and Squarespace web design.
Here’s What You’ll Learn:
Why Alyssa moved from Brooklyn to Asheville and what the transition was like
How Alyssa went from being a freelance designer to a self-employed small business owner
The steps Alyssa uses to guide her clients through the branding and design process
The value and longevity of a professional logo and design
Questions to ask yourself about your business when creating a new logo design
Networking tips for introverts
Tools and resources Alyssa uses to run her business every day
The importance of investing in your business (and all the ways Alyssa does it)
Mountain Biz Works is where Alyssa took a Foundations of Business class. They offer lending and learning opportunities for small businesses in Asheville.
The Prosperous Coach by Steve Chandler is a book Tony mentioned during the episode. It’s a popular read for anyone looking to build better, higher-quality client relationships.
Turning Pro by Stephen Pressfield is another book we mentioned during the episode. It’s about acting professional in order to become professional.
Creative Mornings, AIGA Asheville (American Institute of Graphic Arts), Ad Club are just a few of the groups and networking events that Alyssa attends frequently.
Eversign is the software Alyssa uses for client contracts. Toggle and Asana are what she uses for tracking her time and projects. Adobe Suite is the primary tool she uses for graphic design.
Pentagram is a design studio where Alyssa draws much of her inspiration from.
The Future is a YouTube series featuring educational videos for creative entrepreneurs.
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_7202-e1572896766937.jpg13332000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-11-04 19:55:162020-08-29 15:25:13028 – Alyssa Phillips of Amp’d Designs on the Value of a Logo, Networking for Introverts, and Investing in Your Business
If I post a job posting…I get all these awesome applicants and most of them read like: ‘I know my resume is all restaurants and banking, but I just wanna make stuff with my hands.’ And I can relate to that. It’s like this primal instinct or something where you just want to create something because it’s so gratifying.” – Gabriel Hargett
In this episode, we interview Gabriel Hargett, the founder and owner of Oowee Products. Oowee is a handcrafted leather goods company based in Asheville NC. They create all sorts of custom leather products, from high-quality pint glass sleeves to leather-patched hats and more. And you know what else? They employ a hardworking team of adults that are on the Autism spectrum to help them with hand sewing and packaging up their products. Pretty rad. We know.
Here’s What You’ll Learn:
How Oowee products got its start (hint hint: it’s connected to the brewery industry)
Where the name Oowee came from
What it was like for Gabriel to transition from a full-time day job to a full-time business owner
Why Gabriel decided to employ adults on the autism spectrum
Oowee’s marketing strategy
How Gabriel is applying the concept of lean manufacturing to his business
Gabriel’s favorite things to do in Asheville
Check out the full episode below!
Show Notes
Oowee Products creates custom, high-quality leather goods handmade in Asheville, NC. They are proud to employ adults on the autism spectrum to assemble all of their products. Connect with them on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Mountain Biz Works is a local non-profit organization that helps offers small businesses learning and lending opportunities. This is where Gabriel and his team took business classes that helped improve their marketing and business strategy.
Lean manufacturing is a concept that calls for constantly improving and tweaking the manufacturing process by eliminating unnecessary and unhelpful steps. Gabriel is constantly applying this concept to his business.
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is a parable business book on the process of ongoing improvement. It’s a powerful book for anyone who works in the manufacturing industry.
The Wedge is where Gabe likes to enjoy a casual beer.
Mellow Mushroom is where Gabe goes for consistently good pizza with a groovy vibe.
Bent Creek is one of Gabe’s favorite places to go mountain biking.
Curious to learn more about what we do?
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
Show us some love, will ya?
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share! It means more to us than you might think.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG_7154-1-1.jpg15422000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-10-28 23:11:532020-08-29 14:42:35027 – Gabriel Hargett of Oowee Products on the Magic of Craftsmanship, Lean Manufacturing, and Transitioning from Full-Time Employee to Full-Time Boss
“I had to say goodbye. It was scary, but it was very empowering to me. I wasn’t saying “F* you” to my clients, but I was saying “F* you” to fear. And I was saying “hello” and “amen” to coming into my full self and my passion.”
-Holiday Childress
For months, Holiday Childress had been eyeing an antique-style barber chair, complete with leather upholstery and an ashtray in the armrest. He knew it would cost him more money than he could afford, but he also felt deeply connected with it. It harkened back to a life-long dream, a business idea he had always felt drawn to: owning a men’s grooming service.
“With this chair, I thought to myself I need to get creative and find a good financial reason to get this.”
And with that, Holiday’s business idea started to take shape. A few years later, Holiday Grooms, a bespoke mobile men’s grooming service inspired by a world of old-school men’s tailoring, speakeasies, and barbershops, was born.
Here’s What You’ll Learn:
The story of how Holiday transitioned from being a hair colorist and stylist to owning his own men’s mobile grooming shop
How the name “Holiday Grooms” was born and the whole branding process Holiday went through
The tools and software Holiday uses to run his business
Holiday discusses the hardest business decision he had to make (removing coloring from his menu) and how saying “no” empowered him to follow his real passion
The importance of men having a self-care and grooming routine
What tools and resources you need to up your shaving game at home
Holiday shares his thoughts on the Asheville community, as well as a few of this favorite places to hang out at
And lastly, Holiday gives some wise advice for anyone trying to “make it” in Asheville
Show Notes
Holiday Grooms is an on-location wedding and special events grooming service inspired by bespoke men’s tailoring, barbershops, and speakeasies worldwide. Connect with Holiday Grooms on their Website and Instagram.
Atlas Branding is a renowned Asheville-based branding and design agency. They worked on the Holiday Grooms logo, website, and branding design.
Square is the software that Holiday uses to book client appointments and collect payments.
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5658-e1571669163490.jpg13332000MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-10-22 11:49:272020-08-29 14:37:23026 – Holiday Childress of Holiday Grooms on Saying No So that You Can Grow, Practicing Patience, and the Importance of Men’s Self Care
Advice for Saying “I Do” in One of North Carolina’s Most Popular Wedding Cities
In this episode, we unpack what it was like to plan a wedding in Asheville.
A few weeks before recording this episode, we got married! And yes, we did it in Asheville. Getting ready for the big day has been a big part of our “making it in Asheville” experience. So, we wanted to take some time to share with you some thoughts, insights, and advice for saying “I do” in one of North Carolina’s most popular wedding cities.
Here’s What You’ll Learn:
How we went about choosing a wedding city and why we chose Asheville
Find out what was the very first wedding decision we made after we got engaged and how it shaped the entire planning process
Some of the wedding planning tools we used, plus which ones were the most helpful and why
The advice we’d give ourselves looking back
Show Notes
Wedding Planning Resources
The Knot – Great free resource for setting up a website, searching for vendors, getting an overview of what’s needed to plan a wedding, and setting up a registry
The Asheville Wedding Guide – Local magazine and website featuring hundreds of vendors and ideas for weddings in Asheville
Our Wedding Vendors
Wedding Planner:Nikki Sciurba, Carolina Love Events (Check out our interview with Nikki in Episode 007!)
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
Making It in Asheville is powered by Making It Creative, our boutique marketing and business consulting agency. We help passionate small business owners build and improve their sales and communication strategies. Learn more here.
We appreciate your support!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, review, and/or share. Each review means than you might think as they help this episode get discovered on podcast players.
https://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Screenshot-2019-10-14-at-3.22.53-PM.png8321258MIIA Teamhttps://makingitinasheville.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Making-it-in-Asheville-Podcast-Logo-Horizontal-Light-Text-1.pngMIIA Team2019-10-15 12:08:442020-08-29 14:33:11025 – Lessons from Planning a Wedding in Asheville (Yup, We Just Got Married!)
