Multiple Revenue Streams, One Vision — How she Built a Business Portfolio That Actually Works with Devon Roof

Multiple Revenue Streams, One Vision — How she Built a Business Portfolio That Actually Works with Devon Roof

What happens when comfort gets ripped away and you're forced to choose between wallowing or grabbing the opportunity in front of you? That's the question at the heart of Devon Roof's story. In this episode, Alex and Amanda sit down with Devon, the entrepreneur behind Belle Row Boutique and Epic Blue Marketing, to talk about building a portfolio of businesses while real life keeps throwing curveballs. From a tanning salon that taught her how to run a brick and mortar, to a corporate job that landed her in the tiny curated boutiques of SoHa and lit the spark for Belle Row, this conversation is equal parts inspiring, honest, and surprisingly tender.  Deven opens up about running two tracks at once, never losing sight of the dream while still paying the bills, and the moment everything caught fire and pushed her back to her hometown to start over. Digging into the improv rule of "yes, and," the discipline of focusing only on what you can control, and why learning to be comfortable in uncomfortable things might be the most valuable skill an entrepreneur can have. And because grief and very real life don't pause for business, Devon shares how the hard seasons shaped the way she shows up today.  In this episode:  * The two-track strategy: chasing the dream while still paying the bills * How a tanning salon and a corporate job secretly trained her to be a business owner * The SoHa boutiques that sparked the idea for Belle Row * When life goes up in flames, and why that might be a good thing * The improv rule of "yes, and" applied to entrepreneurship and curveballs * Focusing only on what you can control, and getting comfortable being uncomfortable * Building and running multiple businesses through grief and real life

The Adoption Story Nobody Saw Coming, Family Secrets & Entrepreneurship with Alicia Williams

What happens when a single Facebook post leads to 37 family members pouring through a door in Detroit just two hours later? That's exactly what happened to Alicia Williams the day she finally learned who she really was. In this episode, Alex and Amanda sit down with Alicia to talk about the kind of life story nobody could make up if they tried.  From being placed for adoption against her birth mother's will, to growing up under a name that wasn't her own, to uncovering a family secret that took 97 years to unravel -- this conversation is equal parts jaw-dropping, emotional, and refreshingly honest.  Alicia opens up about the DNA discovery that left geneticists doing a double-take, the long and complicated road to forgiveness with the mother who held it all in, what it meant to hold her in her final moments, and how reconnecting with siblings scattered across separate lives changed everything. And because Alicia is nothing if not multi-passionate, she's also juggling several businesses (plus a few sides roles that'll surprise you) -- making this episode just a teaser for everything she does.  In this episode:  * The adoption story that rewrote everything Alicia thought she knew about herself * One Facebook post, 37 family members, and a reunion two hours in the making * The 97-year family secret and the DNA twist that stumped the experts * Anger, grace, and forgiveness -- making peace with her birth mother before she passed * Siblings kept apart, and what it meant to finally bring them together * Being a multi-passionate entrepreneur with more businesses (and stories) than one episode can hold

COVID, Catering, and Building a Business with Your Spouse — What Nobody Warns You About with Elise Houston.

What happens when a pandemic eliminates both of your jobs on the same day — and your response is to launch a catering business? That's exactly what Elise Houston and her wife Allison did when March 2020 turned their carefully laid plans upside down. In this episode, Alex and Amanda sit down with Elise, co-owner of Sylvia's Catering in Napoleon, to talk about the kind of entrepreneurship story nobody puts in a brochure. From delivering individually packaged dinners by pontoon boat during lockdown, to naming their business after a grandmother who ran a restaurant for 50 years, to navigating the beautifully complicated reality of working alongside your spouse every single day — this conversation is equal parts inspiring, hilarious, and refreshingly honest. Elise opens up about the real financial pressures of running a food business right now (hello, skyrocketing food costs), why saying no to business is sometimes the smartest move you can make, the surprising joy of launching a lesbian coloring book on Amazon, and what it's actually been like building a life and a thriving business as a same-sex couple in Jackson, Michigan. In this episode: * Launching a catering company in the middle of a pandemic (yes, really) * The Sylvia's story — honoring a 50-year legacy and the signs that keep showing up * What it's actually like to run a business with your spouse (and how a hallway saves marriages) * Pivoting, knowing your numbers, and learning when to say no * Planning rest into your business before burnout plans it for you * Finding your community and building a business that fuels your whole life

Knowing Your Numbers, Staying Connected, and the Truth About Why Businesses Fail with Shawn Preissle.

What separates the businesses that make it from the ones that don't? In this episode, Alex and Amanda sit down with Shawn Preissle -- a retired business consultant with over a decade of experience and roughly 2,500 entrepreneurs under her belt -- to get real about what it actually takes to survive (and thrive) in business ownership.  Shawn breaks down the common thread she saw in successful entrepreneurs: they came in prepared, knew their numbers, and -- most importantly -- they stayed connected to support even after launch. She shares why so many business owners wait too long to ask for help, what your financials are actually trying to tell you, and how to build a simple "scorecard" that tracks the health of your business in a way that actually makes sense to you.  Whether you're a spreadsheet lover or someone who breaks out in a cold sweat at the sight of a balance sheet, this episode is packed with practical wisdom that meets you where you are. Plus, the ladies get candid about leaning on your people, knowing your gaps, and why the Jackson County business ecosystem means you truly don't have to go it alone.  In this episode: * Why preparation (not passion) is the #1 predictor of success * The financial benchmarks every business owner should know  * How to build a business scorecard that works for you * Why staying connected to your consultant after launch is everything  * The real cost of waiting too long to ask for help

Talking Crime, Justice, and Community with Jackson's First Female Prosecutor, Kelsey Guernsey.

She walks into the room and people notice. Not because she's trying to make a statement -- but because she already made history.  This episode, Alex and Amanda sit down with Kelsey Guernsey, the first female prosecuting attorney in Jackson County. Let that land for a second. The. First. In a role that has existed for generations, Kelsey is the women who broke the ceiling -- and she's here to talk about what that actually looks like from the inside.  This isn't a fluff piece. Kelsey gets into what it means to carry that "first" title every single day, what it costs, and what it feels like to walk into rooms that weren't built with you in mind -- and command them anyway. She talks about the cases that stay with you, the pressure of being watched, and why she keeps showing up even when the weight of it is real.  This episode is for every woman who has ever been the only one in the room. The first one. The one people are watching to see if she'll fail. Kelsey's story is proof that not only do you belong there -- you might just be the one who changes everything.  What we cover:  * What it means to be the first female prosecuting attorney in Jackson County.  * How Kelsey navigated a male-dominated field without losing herself.  * The reality of prosecuting cases in a community you live in.  * What she wishes more people understood about the criminal justice system.  * The "first" pressure -- what it feels like and how she carries it.  * Her message to women who are walking into spaces that weren't made for them.