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“I decided I was just going to take that leap of faith. I have had multiple businesses in the past. The one thing about entrepreneurship is some businesses are going to do great. Some businesses are going to fail. In order to get somewhere, you have to throw yourself out there.” - Jaqueszian Dukes, CEO of Body Within You Contouring Studio and Founder of Dukes Consulting Services & Tax At the age of 12, Jaqueszian Dukes started her first business selling taffy apples. Aspirations to become a doctor were quickly displaced by dreams of becoming a CEO of her own business. She shares her winding journey from selling hair extensions, to starting her own home care service, and eventually creating her own consulting and tax services company. If that wasn’t enough - this year, she opened a new body contour studio, during a pandemic.  On this episode of Small Business Stories, Kaitlyn sits down with Jaqueszian to discuss the success in her past, present, and future endeavors- that’s right, she has plans to open a winery, post pandemic.  Listen in to hear how Jaqueszian stays inspired, curious, and what tips she offers on how to legitimize your business.  (00:44) - Jaqueszian's first businesses (03:49) - Winemaking (05:21) - Entrepreneurial spirit (07:09) - Moving forward in 2020 (10:20) - Biggest motivation (11:10) - Dukes Consulting Services & Tax (11:52) - Body Within You Contouring Studio  (13:35) - Passing down the spirit (15:50) - Reaching out (17:04) - Leap of faith (20:13) - Legitimize your business Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is a marketing and communications professional from Chicago (she’s actually from the suburbs but she lives here now, okay?). Her credentials for this podcast include her ability to talk endlessly, and a genuine interest in learning about what others can teach her about running a business. OFFIX is a small business looking to help other small businesses succeed. They’re a flexible and professional workspace with multiple locations in Chicago specializing in private, boutique office spaces located in residential neighborhoods. Learn more about all that OFFIX has to offer you and your small business at www.offix-usa.com.  If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Small Business Stories in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.

“If I'm not always learning then I'm just falling behind because it's ever evolving.” – David Sanchez, Yada Digital Creative Studio 2020 has been a year of unpredictability. But David Sanchez of the newly renamed Yada Digital Creative Studio, has been taking everything in stride. With his background in advertising and eye for design, David got to a place where he was ready for more creative control over his projects and thus Yada Digital Creative Studio was born. David stopped by the studio for a chat about why it’s so important to make learning a lifelong habit and why business owners, especially creatives, need to accept unpredictability and go with the flow. Tune in! (02:29) - Committing to being a contractor (05:57) - Collaborative nature (07:53) - Accessible services (12:15) - Client engagement (14:01) - Freelancer anxiety (19:07) - Reaching out to Yada Digital Creative Studio (20:00) - Story development (21:00) - Capital to build Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is a marketing and communications professional from Chicago (she’s actually from the suburbs but she lives here now, okay?). Her credentials for this podcast include her ability to talk endlessly, and a genuine interest in learning about what others can teach her about running a business. OFFIX is a small business looking to help other small businesses succeed. They’re a flexible and professional workspace with multiple locations in Chicago specializing in private, boutique office spaces located in residential neighborhoods. Learn more about all that OFFIX has to offer you and your small business at www.offix-usa.com.  If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Small Business Stories in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Many small businesses, out of budget necessity, try to do the books on their own. Hiring an accountant, however, is an investment that can help your business save thousands in the long-term. Matt Remuzzi is the founder of CapForge Inc and exclusively works with small businesses. On this episode of Small Business Stories, Matt discusses how an accountant can help you achieve greater success and shares his biggest piece of advice for small business owners: get intentional with your data and numbers. Take a listen for more of Matt’s advice. (00:53) - Changing the way people view their accountant (06:43) - Services at CapForge Bookkeeping & Tax (09:39) - Helping the typical client (11:48) - Savings for the resource constrained (15:50) - Two-way communication (19:30) - Pivoting in 2020 (25:44) - Pay attention to the data (29:02) - https://capforge.com/small-business-stories-podcast-lp Matt Ramuzzi started CapForge 8 years ago as a way to provide better small business bookkeeping and accounting services than he could find at the time. CapForge offers flat rates and great customer service, two things in short supply previously! They’ve grown to over 800 clients and are still going. Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is a marketing and communications professional from Chicago (she’s actually from the suburbs but she lives here now, okay?). Her credentials for this podcast include her ability to talk endlessly, and a genuine interest in learning about what others can teach her about running a business. OFFIX is a small business looking to help other small businesses succeed. They’re a flexible and professional workspace with multiple locations in Chicago specializing in private, boutique office spaces located in residential neighborhoods. Learn more about all that OFFIX has to offer you and your small business at www.offix-usa.com.  If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Small Business Stories in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.

“I think if you're going to start something, do it because you love it. You know, Bob Marley used to say money is just numbers. If you think you can achieve happiness by having money… you're never going to be happy.” – Raul Rodriguez, CEO of Monsie 3D Lab For this episode of Small Business Stories, Kaitlyn sat down with Raul Rodriguez, CEO of Monsie 3D Lab. Monsie is an up-and-coming dental lab dedicated to helping dentists give their client’s beautiful, restored smiles. Raul shares his winding journey toward starting his own business and talks about some of the causes he’s passionate about. For Raul and Monsie, community engagement and giving back are very important. Listen to the episode for Raul’s thoughts on investing in your community as well as his tips for starting a business that you love.  (00:27) - Making smiles at Monsie 3D Lab (02:22) - Starting a new venture in 2020 (08:46) - Finding the right path (12:13) - Put it in writing (14:14) - Providing quality to the community (21:37) - Do it because you love it Follow Monsie 3D Lab on Instagram @monsie3dlab or check out their website www.monsie3dlab.com to learn more about what they do. Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is a marketing and communications professional from Chicago (she’s actually from the suburbs but she lives here now, okay?). Her credentials for this podcast include her ability to talk endlessly, and a genuine interest in learning about what others can teach her about running a business. OFFIX is a small business looking to help other small businesses succeed. They’re a flexible and professional workspace with multiple locations in Chicago specializing in private, boutique office spaces located in residential neighborhoods. Learn more about all that OFFIX has to offer you and your small business at www.offix-usa.com.  If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Small Business Stories in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.

“I always thought that the hardest thing would be finding customers. But really finding good, quality people is literally the hardest thing to do in business.” – Chad Dunham, Third Coast Coding Every dollar counts for a small business. For small operations, it can sometimes be helpful to bring on a contractor or freelancer as opposed to hiring a full-time position. Chad Dunham is the owner of Third Coast Coding, a custom web solution agency. Over the past 15 years that Chad has been in business, he’s had to work with a range of different partners, employees and contractors. On this week’s edition of Small Business Stories, Kaitlyn talks to Chad about fostering relationships with both colleagues and customers when you’re a small business. Listen in for Chad’s advice. (00:29) - Custom software solutions (05:28) - COVID-19 challenges (07:56) - Solving problems with computer science (12:12) - Constant evolution (14:20) - Finding good people (17:40) - Hiring contractors (20:08) - The ideal client (21:56) - Do what you love Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is a marketing and communications professional from Chicago (she’s actually from the suburbs but she lives here now, okay?). Her credentials for this podcast include her ability to talk endlessly, and a genuine interest in learning about what others can teach her about running a business. OFFIX is a small business looking to help other small businesses succeed. They’re a flexible and professional workspace with multiple locations in Chicago specializing in private, boutique office spaces located in residential neighborhoods. Learn more about all that OFFIX has to offer you and your small business at www.offix-usa.com.  If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Small Business Stories in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.

“We’re trying to build a generation of free thinkers that can survive and pay their bills.” – Calvin Jackson, The LemonAd Stand Calvin Jackson has always had a passion for art but the idea of being a starving artist didn’t sit well with him. He went into the graphic design space and along with his wife, Vanessa Jackson, conceived of The LemonAd Stand, a full-service creative marketing agency dedicated to small businesses. Calvin and Vanessa are our guests for the inaugural episode of Small Business Stories. They spoke to us about the importance of figuring out your mission and brand statement as well as their passion for helping young people mesh their talent for art with real business skills. Take a listen to the episode to learn more about The LemonAd Stand and their growth as a business. (02:32) - Merging backgrounds (06:57) - Moving forward with branding (10:28) - Helping small businesses with marketing (18:55) - That's not your lane (27:23) - What the future holds for The LemonAd stand Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick is a marketing and communications professional from Chicago (she’s actually from the suburbs but she lives here now, okay?). Her credentials for this podcast include her ability to talk endlessly, and a genuine interest in learning about what others can teach her about running a business. OFFIX is a small business looking to help other small businesses succeed. They’re a flexible and professional workspace with multiple locations in Chicago specializing in private, boutique office spaces located in residential neighborhoods. Learn more about all that OFFIX has to offer you and your small business at www.offix-usa.com.  If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Small Business Stories in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. Podcast episode production by Dante32.

When you own a small business, for better or worse, you’re the boss. If you’re a new or a struggling entrepreneur, this can be very isolating. Our new podcast, Small Business Stories, is here to change that. Twice a month, we’re bringing in experienced small business owners who will share their successes and failures to help you grow your business. Whether you’re getting ready to launch, or you’ve been operating for years, Small Business Stories connects you with stories from real business owners. They’ve been through it all before and are eager to share their experiences to help you increase revenues, solidify your branding, and create marketing plans to connect you with potential customers. Join me as your host, Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick as I interview entrepreneurs to learn the secret sauce behind their businesses. We’re kicking things off soon with two up and coming Chicago businesses: The Lemon Ad Stand and Third Coast Coding. Small Business Stories is Presented by OFFIX. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about OFFIX and get the full episode library at OFFIX-usa.com. Podcast episode production by Dante32