007 – Growing A Wedding Planning Business with Nikki Sciurba of Carolina Love Events

In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Nikki to talk about how she has grown her wedding planning business from a company of one to six.

Nikki Sciurba is not your average wedding planner. She is somehow magically laid back and calm all the while paying meticulous attention to the details.

As some of you may know, we’re getting married this September in Asheville. Planning a wedding takes way more time and attention than we could have imagined and we couldn’t have planned ours without the help of Nikki Sciurba, founder and owner of one of Asheville’s top wedding planning businesses, Carolina Love Events.

Here’s What You’ll Learn

  • The steps Nikki took to start her wedding planning business in Asheville (and what she ended up changing)
  • How she manages conflicts and problems that arise on wedding days
  • Advice on how to write vows and speeches
  • Which wedding apps can help couples through the process (and which don’t)
  • Some of the ways she helps her couples make their wedding days unique representations of their relationships
  • Nikki’s insider picks on the best things to do, places to see, and food to eat in Asheville

Show Notes

Carolina Love Events
Explore the website and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest (some great wedding ideas here!).

Nikki’s Favorite Business Resources:
Google Suite for all her wedding planning and documentation
Apple Watch so that she can manage incoming messages from the DJ and the venues without breaking stride
Gusto for all payroll services
QuickBooks for accounting, invoices, and finance management

Nikki’s Top Asheville Picks:
Salvage Station
Burial Beer
Burger Mondays at Bull & Beggar
Copper Crown
Smoky Park Supper Club
Hole Doughnuts
Hiking at Graveyard Fields

Music by Commonwealth Choir

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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006 – From Dishwasher to Chef de Cuisine with Derek Herre

Derek Herre was one of our very first friends we made in Asheville. We met him one night while out at dinner at John Fleer’s The Rhubarb, a farm-to-table restaurant located in Pack’s Square of Downtown Asheville. It didn’t take long for us to realize that Derek had a unique story to tell.

In this episode, we chat with Derek on how and why he moved to Asheville (spoiler: he’s lived in one of the coldest, largest states in America) and how he worked his way up to becoming Chef de Cuisine at one of the city’s top restaurants.

Here’s What You’ll Learn

  • How Derek went from working as a “swamper” (aka dishwasher) to becoming head chef
  • Derek’s top-secret Asheville restaurants, eateries, and more (trust us: he knows the inside scoop)
  • His recommended cooking tools, books, and advice for aspiring chefs
  • Derek’s thoughts on making money and quality of life in the restaurant industry

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Derek!

Show Notes

Follow Derek on Instagram

The Rhubarb: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Retro Fit Asheville (Derek’s 90’s clothing pop-up store): Facebook and Instagram

CoolWorks.com – An online job posting board featuring work in really cool places (this is how Derek found a job in Alaska).

Derek’s favorite places to eat in Asheville:

  • Cucina24 for elevated Italian and authentic Neapolitan pizza
  • Burger Gang Pop-up at Broadways (Sunday’s only) and Shakey’s (Tuesdays) for burgers
  • Over Easy Cafè for breakfast
  • Taqueria Muñoz for authentic tacos
  • A Taste of El Salvador for authentic pupusa

Derek’s Recommended Cooking Tools:

  • Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller – Recommended cookbook for learning the basics
  • Metal Monkey Knives – An Australian-based knife maker, Tobi Bockholt makes every knife by hand and can design it to the customers’ specification (for example, Derek has a customized hybrid butcher’s knife).
  • For those who are just starting out with cooking, Derek recommends picking up some affordable Kiwi Chef’s Knives, along with a high-quality knife sharpener.

And the shampoo that Derek swears by (don’t ask…): MoNat – Derek says it makes his hair incredibly smooth and soft.

Music by Commonwealth Choir

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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005 – What We Wish We Had Known Before Moving to Asheville

In this episode, we interview each other on the move to Asheville.

After three weeks in Asheville, we decided to sit down and record a conversation about how things have been going and what lessons we’ve learned from the move. This episode gives you a closer look at our moving experience, including what things went well and what things we would have done differently.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • the biggest surprises about the move (hint: we didn’t use a U-haul)
  • the many lessons from finding an apartment without living here
  • strategies we used to furnish our space without going bankrupt
  • and more!

Show Notes

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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004 – Gillie Roberts of Ware on How to Open a Small Retail Shop (and Be Sustainable, Too)

Gillie, a Brevard native, opened shop less than a year ago after finally realizing her dream of combining her love of art and fashion with her degree in sustainability.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • the defining moment when Gillie decided to open a retail front
  • the steps she took to raise capital funds, source products, and find the right name for her business
  • how Gillie thinks about marketing and community engagement
  • advice and tips for practicing sustainability in your own life

We hope you enjoy Gillie’s go-getter attitude and inspiring story.

Ware Asheville

Show Notes

Check out Gillie’s shop, Ware.

Gillie hosts community events frequently in her shop and is always getting in new eco-friendly products. To stay up-to-date with the latest happenings, follow Ware on Instagram.

Gillie’s Asheville Favorites:

Music by Commonwealth Choir.

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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003 – How to Run an Airbnb from Your Basement (and Find Contentment) with John Hopple

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In this interview, John says he likes to “make small decisions” – you know, like buying a house and figuring out how to run an Airbnb in Asheville.

John is less than one year into owning a home in Asheville and has recently gone through the process of getting his basement permitted as a rental unit – two things we’re very much hoping to do in the next few years. Within the Asheville city limits, running an Airbnb has become an increasingly complicated challenge and murky legal area. In this episode, John shared with us his insider’s knowledge of Asheville’s real estate and rental laws, plus some incredible wisdom on staying balanced through it all.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • Why we put buying a home and running an Airbnb in Asheville on an indefinite back burner
  • Practical and actionable advice if you’re considering turning your space into an Airbnb
  • How to run an Airbnb
  • John’s sage philosophies on work/life balance and finding contentment
  • How making small decisions first can help you start a new project

We think you’ll love John’s easy-going advice as much as we did.

Show Notes

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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002 – Start with Be

We recorded this episode as our final act before moving from Brooklyn to Asheville, NC. While the majority of our podcast episodes will be interviews with Asheville’s locals, this episode is just the two of us sharing our perspective on the many reasons to “start with be” rather than “start with why.”

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • The problems of “starting with why”
  • “Be, Do, Have” hierarchy
  • Ways to leverage “starting with be” in both your life and your business

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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001 – The Podcast Pilot

In this episode, we discuss why we decided to move to Asheville, why we’re starting this project, what you can expect from the episodes that follow.

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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