028 – Alyssa Phillips of Amp’d Designs on the Value of a Logo, Networking for Introverts, and Investing in Your Business

“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)
  • When to get a logo vs. when to wait
  • Alyssa’s favorite things to do in Asheville

Check out the full episode below!

Show Notes

Connect with Amp’d Designs on their website, Instagram, and Facebook.

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.

WNC Bridge Thrift Store and ReStore are two of Alyssa’s favorite thrift stores in Asheville.

Laurel River Trail is Alyssa’s go-to hiking trail in Madison County.

Stackhouse is Alyssa’s go-to pub and restaurant in Mars Hill.

The Waterbird is Alyssa’s go-to meeting spot.

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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027 – Gabriel Hargett of Oowee Products on the Magic of Craftsmanship, Lean Manufacturing, and Transitioning from Full-Time Employee to Full-Time Boss

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.

To recommend an interviewee, visit MakingItInAsheville.com/podcast

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026 – Holiday Childress of Holiday Grooms on Saying No So that You Can Grow, Practicing Patience, and the Importance of Men’s Self Care

“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.

What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith is a book that Tony mentioned during the episode while discussing the idea of change.

Crown Shaving Co. is the brand of shaving cream products that Holiday highly recommends, especially their luxurious Pre-Shave Formula.

Holiday’s Favorite Asheville places:

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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025 – Lessons from Planning a Wedding in Asheville (Yup, We Just Got Married!)

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

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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024 – Zach Eidson from Metro Wines on Soul Searching, Establishing a Customer Service Strategy, and Buying Better Wine

“Everything I need to know I learned as a bartender…and all I did was listen.”

-Zach Eidson

In this episode, we interview Zach Eidson, the General Manager of Metro Wines.

Zach and his family moved to Asheville in early 2019 from Cincinnati. He came to Metro Wines with years of experience under his belt of owning and managing a small wine shop in Cincinnati.

During our conversation, we go deep into what it takes to successfully run a wine shop and how it’s different from other businesses. We discuss Zach’s unique and thoughtful customer service approach, including the kinds of questions he asks to help people find the right wine.

Here’s What You’ll Learn

  • Why Zach decided to move to Asheville and how he became the General Manager of Metro Wines
  • Zach’s tell us about his previous experience of managing and eventually owning, a wine store in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • His approach to helping people buy the right wines, including the types of questions he asks customers; customer service in a wine shop
  • Zach’s favorite things to do in Asheville

Show Notes

Metro Wines is a small wine boutique located in Asheville’s Charlotte street neighborhood. They carry wines from all around the world, offer wine box subscriptions, and educational events. Learn more on the Metro Wines Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

Wine Books and Resources Zach recommends
*Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links. That means if you purchase something after clicking on these links, we receive a small commission. We appreciate your support!
Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette
The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson
The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil
Secrets of the Sommeliers by Rajat Parr and Jordon Mackay
Windows of the World by Kevin Zraly
Gary Vaynerchuk YouTube videos on Wine

Business Books mentioned in this episode
*Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links. That means if you purchase something after clicking on these links, we receive a small commission. We appreciate your support!
The Thank You Economy
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

Zach’s Favorite Things to Do in Asheville

  • Biltmore for family picnics and activities
  • Bull & Beggar
  • Golden Fleece
  • The Whistlehop (Fairview)
  • Straightaway Cafe (Black Mountain)

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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023 – Asheville Wellness Tours on Finding a Niche Business Opportunity in A Saturated Market

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“It’s really beautiful to allow people to step outside of their day-to-day hustle to take time to slow down, recognize beauty all around them and connect with their bodies and breath.” – Sue Ann Fisher

In this podcast episode, we sit down and chat with the two lovely ladies behind Asheville Wellness Tours: Sue Ann Fisher and Nicole Will.

Several years ago, the former owner of Asheville Wellness Tours approached Nicole to see if she wanted to take over the experience. Having a background in Outdoor Wildnerness Therapy and love for wellness, Nicole jumped at the opportunity.

But she knew she couldn’t do alone. That’s where yogi, Sue Ann Fisher, came into play. Together, the two of them have developed an incredible wellness tour experience here in Asheville. They collaborate with many wellness professionals throughout Asheville, incorporating yoga, outdoors, essential oils, massage, and more into their offerings.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • How Asheville Wellness Tours got its start and how the company’s offerings have evolved since then
  • Why we loved the Yoga Hike and how it’s different from a traditional yoga class
  • Nicole tells us more about Wildnerness Therapy and how it works
  • We talk briefly on the history of wellness in Asheville
  • Sue Ann and Nicole also share with us some of their favorite wellness spots in town
  • Key business decisions Sue Ann and Nicole made while building their business, including profit strategy, partnership outreach, and marketing efforts, plus the lessons learned from them
  • Sue Ann and Nicole share some details on their own wellness practices
  • Sue Ann and Nicole give us the inside scoop on some of their favorite places to hang out at in Asheville

Show Notes

Asheville Wellness Tours curates experiences, custom itineraries, and adventures with a wellness twist. Think: Yoga Hikes, Group Tarot Card Readings, Mobile Massages, and Downtown Walking Tours (with yoga in between stops). Connect with them on their website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Some of the business resources mentioned during this episode include the Asheville CVB (Convention and Visitor Bureau) and Mountain Biz Works classes. Sue Ann and Nicole also mentioned that they are currently working on re-doing their website with a local company called Yonderday.

Sue Ann’s daily wellness routine includes an hour-long sitting meditation, Vijana Yoga and Pranayama Breathing.

Nicole’s wellness practice includes eating chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven, drinking Malbec red wine, along with attending a silent meditation retreat and the Grove Park Inn Spa at least twice a year. She also enjoys walking along the Mountain to Sea trail near her home.

Sue Ann and Nicoles’ Favorite Place to Go in Asheville

“Think about this: a plain donut from Hole. Fresh. Hot. Cut in half with a Lil’ Sister taco stuffed in between.”

-Sue Ann

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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022 – Emily Peele from High Five Coffee on Empathy, Quality Service and the Coffee Community in Asheville

“We have those conversations a lot about reminding newer baristas who are being really precious with their craft that they don’t know that person’s story. And so let’s find a way to perhaps dialogue about how [we] can meet [their] needs.”

-Emily Peele

In this podcast episode, we interview Emily Peele, Brand Director of High Five Coffee.

When Emily first moved to Asheville, she started working as a barista at High Five Coffee. Since then, she has worked her way up in the industry, becoming High Five’s brand director and partnering closely with the founder, Jay Weatherly, to maintain and develop their brand identity.

Here’s What You’ll Learn

  • How and why Emily moved to Asheville and started working in the coffee industry
  • Emily shares insight on what it’s like to work in the food and beverage industry
  • A behind-the-scenes story of High Five Coffee’s history in Asheville (like where the name came from), plus how they’ve grown and are constantly improving the quality of their service
  • Get a glimpse of the upcoming Asheville Coffee Expo on September 28, 2019

Show Notes

High Five Coffee is one of Asheville’s most beloved coffee shops, offering craft coffee and espresso drinks. They have three different locations in Asheville and in Woodfin. Connect with them on their website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

The Dripolator in Black Mountain is the coffee shop chain where High Five first got its start.

Atlas Branding is the company that High Five Coffee used for their branding and design.

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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021 – Jack Roche of Old North Unpacks the “Audacity” of Selling $300 Jeans in Asheville

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“I’m a Ferrari-in-a-bathroom-doing-donuts-kind-of-person,”

– Jack Roche

And that he is. Jack is truly a Renaissance man, constantly involved in multiple projects and businesses, always in pursuit of learning the next thing.

This conversation was a thrill-ride. Jack, as the owner and founder of Old North, has built a business that is both fulfilling and allows him to constantly pursue new curiosities — like sailing from the Caribbean to Maine or living in the jungles of the Amazon.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • Old North’s origin story as a retail store in Asheville (it opened at the worst possible time)
  • The importance of pivoting early and often when you’re a new business
  • The logic of understanding and diversifying your risk as an entrepreneur
  • Why positive reinforcement is so important in entrepreneurship
    How critically important resilience is — especially in a seasonal business
  • Jack’s thoughts on working in the clothing industry, why he loves it and why he hates it
  • Lessons on buying products for a retail shop (larry vs nick), including the differences between creating your own private label vs. carrying other brands
  • Jack’s shares some thoughts on his marketing and brand strategy
    We talk about men’s fashion, women’s fashion and what it means to communicate with your clothes
  • What to do if you don’t know where to begin with improving your personal style
  • Jack shares his perspective on the community in Asheville and his favorite restaurants/bars in town

Show Notes

Old North is a boutique clothing store specializing in exceptional quality from American, Japanese, and European manufacturers. Think: timeless tees, casual cargoes, and durable denim made for the effortless stylists. You can connect with them on their website and on Instagram

Books and concepts mentioned during this episode:
During the episode, we talked about a couple of concepts from noteworthy books. One was the idea of building a muse business as referenced in the 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. The other was accessing a state of “flow” as discussed in depth in the book Flow: The Psychology of the Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Jack’s Favorite Restaurants & Bars in Asheville:

  • Bull & Beggar – “Consistently the best restaurant experience I’ve ever had in my life.”
  • Crucible – “I don’t drink beer — it smells like farts, so this is my favorite bar.”
  • All Souls Pizza – “It reminds me of portland in the 80s.”

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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020 – Connie Matisse, Co-Founder of East Fork Pottery, Shares Lessons on Growing Pains, Relationship Building, and Honest Storytelling

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“I think trusting that your customer can handle the truth and treating them like a human you might see in the street really goes a long way.”

– Connie Matisse

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • The behind-the-scenes story of how East Fork got its start
  • Connie explains how East Fork grew from a small pottery company to a national brand and shares some of the growing pains they experienced along the way
  • Advice for deciding whether or not you should go into business with your friends and loved ones and how to maintain a balanced relationship once you do
  • The unique customer service and care approach that East Fork follows
  • East Fork’s strategy for creating engaging Instagram and newsletter content in order to nurture and gently guide their customers
  • How to know if you should turn your craft into a business
  • The three East Fork products Connie recommends for first-time buyers
  • Connie’s perspective on the city of Asheville and how it’s changed over the years
  • Connie’s favorite spots in Asheville
  • Exciting initiatives coming up in the future for East Fork

Show Notes

About East Fork
East Fork Pottery makes beautiful ceramic dinnerware and pottery using materials from the local Blue Ridge Mountains. Founded in 2009 by Alex Matisse, Connie Matisse, and John Vigeland, the company has grown quickly from a small group of friends and artists who had a good “hunch” and creative sense of style to a full-blown, nationally-recognized ceramic business with multiple product lines, an ever-growing need for warehouse and factory space, and an executive team. Despite its growth, East Fork has strived to remain true to its mission: create beautiful, durable, and timeless ceramics in the U.S. following sustainable and ethical practices.

Connect with East Fork on their Website, Instagram (@EastForkPottery and @EastForkAsheville), and Facebook.

Connie’s Top Asheville Picks
Here are a few of Connie’s favorite places to hang out at in Asheville (among many others on the East Fork Recommends list we mentioned in our Trusted Advisor Theory blog post).

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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019 – Welcome to Season 2 + What to Expect This Season

Here’s What You’ll Learn

  • Our new intro structure
  • The single word to describe season One
  • Why we’re over the moon excited about what’s in store for Season 2
  • What might have been the best episode of Season 1 (despite the poor sound quality)
  • What we’re focused on in Season 2 (trying to avoid throwaway questions and more)
  • Our first Mission Statement for Making It in Asheville

Show Notes

The Episode that gets the most positive feedback, despite the sound quality: Episode 002 – Start With Be

Making It In Asheville – Mission Statement
Our Mission is to build a community of Asheville Entrepreneurs, Artists, and Creatives — which we call makers — by sharing honest stories and revealing meaningful insights. We work to provide this community with practical resources for both personal and business development.

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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