The Laptop Lifestyle with Alexis Teichmiller

Hunter Schleicher is a lifestyle, fashion and travel blogger based in Nashville, TN. She started a blog, grew her Instagram following to 20k, and recently quit her full-time job to pursue blogging as a career - all in the last 7 months! Hunter is also the Social Media coordinator for Parlour 3 and Hunter Paige, two of Nashville's top salons. In this episode you will learn the time management skills it takes to be a full time online entrepreneur, the power of being authentic and how it can connect you with your audience, the value of staying true to your vision regardless of what people say, and how to combat comparison.

John Cascarano is the founder of Tame the Beast and Fresh Dog. In college at Duke, John helped create mental_floss, a magazine and trivia company later acquired by the founder of Maxim magazine. He went to law school at the University of Michigan, met his wife, co-authored a book of sorts, and practiced law at a big law firm. He left practice to found an online beauty product retailer, which exceeded $5 million in yearly revenue within five years before its sale. Recently, he served as E-commerce Director to FASHIONABLE, a women’s apparel and accessories retailer with an inspiring social mission, where he drove a doubling of the company's online revenue in less than one year. In this episode, you will learn the importance of building a sustainable company with meaning, knowing when to quit and move on to the next chapter in your career, the mindset of a serial entrepreneur, and why building up people is just as important as building a business.

Clark Buckner is a B2B podcaster & content marketer. His team partners with influencers, conferences and organizations to utilize the magic of podcasting. He also serves as Podcast Lead at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center -- they support entrepreneurs with the critical resources to create, launch and grow their businesses. Based on market need and customer validation, Clark grew into an agency solution. He's the co-founder of a podcast production agency, Relationary Marketing, that creates broadcast-quality interviews for rich content marketing, event promotion, relationship nurturing and thought leadership. In this episode, you will learn the importance of story telling in branding, how to develop a successful podcast, the difference between podcasting and videography, and why it's crucial to create a strong and supportive community.

Ashley Wilson is the girlboss behind the online women's clothing boutique, Everest & Co. After studying film in LA, Ashley moved to Nashville, TN in search of living out her creative passion. Once in Nashville, she studied Music Business and started working at Universal Music Group. What seemed like a dream job, wasn't quite fulfilling Ashley's desire to create and run her own business. That's when the idea of Everest & Co. came to life. Ashley says it best, "Everest & Co. was dreamt up from a cubicle in a glass high-rise building in Nashville, TN. We are here to make you feel your best, simple as that. Let’s be real though…not everything looks great on everyone and that’s okay! Embrace it. We are here to make you feel good and find the perfect clothes for you. We want you to get that job, find the love of your life, and run the world in our clothes. All eyes will and should be on you. Because #LifeAtTheTop is just so much more fun." With a #LifeAtTheTop, her goal is to celebrate every aspect of a women's life, especially those mountain top moments! In this episode, you will learn how to narrow your target audience when you're in the beginning stages of building a brand, balancing working full time while creating a business on the side, the millennial mindset about the corporate world, and how to have those difficult conversations that will get you closer to your dreams.

What would happen if we allowed ourselves the opportunity to be grateful for our fears? In this episode of The Laptop Lifestyle, host Alexis Teichmiller shares how to conquer fear with gratitude. She addresses two simple questions: What would it look like to go all in on yourself and your dreams? What’s keeping you from doing it?

Jennifer Worman is the blogger behind Red Soles and Red Wine and co-founder of T+J Designs, an online women’s clothing store. Jennifer co-founded T+J Designs with her sister four years ago starting out just designing jewelry. Now they design clothing and jewelry sold all over the world and that is sold wholesale in over 300 boutiques. Their jewelry line has been featured in InStyle, The Today Show Oprah, US Weekly, Who What Wear among many others.   Family is a key component to Jennifer’s life, as the mother of two adorable sons. She works closely with her mother, father, sister and other family members to run T + J like the empire it is. In this episode you will learn the difference between following trends and creating them, how to use social media like a true business building tool, the key components of running a successful online company, and the importance of data based decisions.

Ellen Bennett is the founder and creator of Hedley & Bennett, the Los Angeles based apron company founded in 2012 at age 24. After culinary school and while working as a line cook at two Los Angeles’ restaurants, Ellen noticed the stale look and poor quality of the aprons she wore daily. Inspired to make a more functional apron, she created Hedley & Bennett. Soon, attention came from press like the New York Times and celebrity chef fans such as Martha Stewart and Mario Batali, solidifying her as a real player in the restaurant game. Ellen grew her operation from a 400 square foot office space to the showroom, office space and 14,000 sq. ft factory she currently resides in in Downtown LA - all in under three years.  The company has quickly expanded and now her aprons can be found in more than 3000 restaurants worldwide. Upon realizing aprons weren’t only for chefs but for any maker who wanted a professional grade apron to protect them while they work, she developed aprons for gardeners and potters so they too could have a garment as beautiful as the clothes they wore underneath. Since then, Bennett has collaborated with SpaceX, Google, Lexus, Delta, Four Seasons, Food & Wine and thousands of others to craft functional aprons for their specific needs. In this episode, you hear the behind the scenes story of how Ellen started Hedley and Bennett, how to believe in yourself, and how to create a positive company culture.

Anya Kaats is a San Diego-based Holistic Health Coach and Marketing Consultant on a mission to share good food, health & happiness with as many people as possible. As a paleo blogger and photographer, Anya shares her love for organic food and creativity through her photography and expert experience in the organic industry. She has worked in house with brands like Whole Foods, Suja, Momma Chia, and now consults for various companies in the natural products industry. In this episode, you will learn how to cultivate strategy and skill in your work, the details of negotiating contracts with brands and clients, the importance of authentic marketing, and how to create a versatile set of skills around the same niche.

Julie Solomon is a New York Times Best-Selling Publicist, brand manager, and blogger. She’s worked with firms like Thomas Nelson, Press Here Publicity, and Abingdon Press. Her work at Thomas Nelson Publishers included publicity efforts on the record-breaking book, Heaven is for Real, which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Julie cofounded OMG! Publicity, which begin her entrepreneurial career. The company focuses on managing publicity campaigns for authors, bloggers, entrepreneurs, and creative new product launches. OMG Publicity was soon able to gain renowned clients including Devon Franklin, Meagan Good, Emily Maynard, Max Lucado, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins Publishing and others to manage growth of their brand. In this episode you will learn how to make smart transitions in life and business, how to follow and grow from your fears, the importance of self- awareness and how you can use it to help identify your strengths and weaknesses, and the secret building long term influence.

Beth Harper is a marketing and business coach, entrepreneur, blogger, and a total girl boss. From private coaching to social media consulting, Beth is every ambitious female entrepreneur’s dream coach! Her work has been featured on online entrepreneurial platforms like Belong Magazine, Society Gal, and Gospel Driven Entrepreneur just to name a few. In this episode, you will learn the importance of being brave in business, how to create a successful freelance coaching business, the power of influence, and how to build a solid community in person and online to surround you with encouragement.

Chloe Hall is a Photographer, Blogger, Youtuber, and Digital Content Creator. She has worked with brands like Pepsi, Bose, Macy’s, Gap, and Madewell to create unique brand content which has successfully grown her social following to over 120k. Starting her career path out in the music industry, Chloe quickly switched to graphic design to pursue her passion of photography. After creating her own paper company, starting a blog, and picking up more and more photography client work, she saw the real value of being an entrepreneur. Just after her sophomore year of college, Chloe dropped out college to pursue blogging and photography full time. In this episode, you will learn how to create professional long term partnerships with big brands, the truth about making money as a blogger, the importance of seeing the value in your platform, and how to hold every opportunity with an open hand.

Jessica Steddom is a lifestyle and portrait photographer as well as product stylist and social media manager. Her incredible work has been published in Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nashville Business Journal, and The Tennessean. She has created images for brands like Coach, Radio Disney, Country Nation, Nashville Entrepreneur Center, and Megan & Liz just to name a few. With the mission of helping others tell their stories, Jessica focuses on capturing those in between moments of life that bring her clients to life through her images. I can speak from personal experience, Jessica is a one of a kind photographer. Her raw talent is so apparent. It's an honor to bring my good friend on the show today! I can promise there will be some laughter and jam packed with value for entrepreneurs just getting started in their journey. In this episode, you will learn the art of navigating a full time job while having a full time side hustle, time management as freelancer, having confidence in your experience and craft, and how to start a photography business.

We take risks every day. Some small, some big. How do you take those big risks that reap big rewards? How do you learn from your mistakes, fail fast, and move forward? This episode of The Laptop Lifestyle is all about risks and 5 reasons you should take more of them with a mix of my personal experiences with risk taking. I share the benefits of takings big risks and what you can learn along the way.

Brie Beeks is the woman behind BlissfulBosses. She created BlissfulBosses to help women take their entrepreneurial ideas and turn them into a successful online business. It's a haven for the driven go-getters, entrepreneurial souls, and those who want more than the 9-to-5 life. Her main focus is business strategy, growing your online presence, and social media marketing. In this episode, you will learn how to build an online course, how to find financial freedom as an entrepreneur, and why it's important to establish boundaries in order to be productive.

Ben 'Coach K' Kissam is a coach, author and host of The Coach K Show. He teaches people how to achieve their goals by becoming 'that' person we've all met that finds success in everything they do. Ben is also a teacher and NLP Master Practitioner in the business of helping people achieve their goals. He has coached clients in areas including weight loss, new habit formation, breaking of bad habits, discovering purpose, and advancement of careers. Ben is the author of the bestselling book, Confined To A Cave, a 30-day guide to turning exercise and diet into lifelong habits. When he's not working on his business, you can find him in the gym, hiking, writing, reading, or traveling. Movement is the primary way that Ben leads a balanced life, while competition continually drives him to practice what he preaches in his teachings. He has completed 8 ultra-marathons, won CrossFit competitions, and competed in powerlifting. In this episode you will learn the step by step roadmap to setting and reaching your goals, how to manage stress in the midst of failure and overwhelm, and why it's important to have yet contain your ego as an entrepreneur.