Small Business Rising

In today’s episode, we’re hosting Paula, who established the Sanctuary House, a very special place, hosting events geared towards supporting the mental well being of foreigners here in Aarhus. The special thing about The Sanctuary House is that you get the experience of entering a home and being treated with the kind of hospitality that you get in a home. It is a warm and supportive environment especially geared towards those who have a feeling of isolation and are looking for a community. The Sanctuary House is dedicated to building friendships between their guests through sharing circles. You can stay back after the event and spend time talking to the others over cups of chai.

We have recorded this show on 11th of December morning from Denmark, which was back then under freshly announced partial lockdown (update - now we have almost a full lockdown). Among other things, this means that all the restaurants, bars, cafes and entire cultural life are currently shut down in 69 out of 98 municipalities in the country. How should business owners react when their livelihood is in danger? Today we discuss a very peculiar case of a little restaurant in Palmyra, Pennsylvania "Taste of Sicily" and talk about a scenario of civil disobedience as a survival strategy.

Today we are solving a challenge sent to us by Koko, a Japanese illustrator, who is teaching how to draw manga. Koko is asking us about how to target and sell to parents and how to price her manga teaching services. Luckily we have our marketing and advertising specialist and an owner of DO SOMETHING consulting agency, Maria Voss, to support us in answering the questions. Challenge from Koko: Hi! My name is Koko - I am Japanese, illustrator, my business is. to teach how to draw manga /anime :D I have 2 struggles. help meeeee 1) How do I target/sell parents? so..... most of my students are kids, age 07-15. But it's parents, who pay. I decided that I need to target both, Kids and Parents. I am doing ok for kids targeting, but how do I target/sell parents? Parents' don't care about to learn "how to draw anime hair" on TikTok or YouTube. so they don't really "look for me" - I have to go to them. (I think???). but .... How? Where are they?   My business is right now physical lessons but I want to expand outside of Denmark, by offering online lessons, online products....so I'm talking here about online marketing - reaching out parents in USA, UK, (anybody whose kids speak English.) 2) Struggle 2 Pricing!! What's the method to price on my service, without me feeling undercharge or that people are feeling it's ripped off? Find Koko Koko's website   Free tutorials on YouTube ----------------------------------- About our Expert Maria Voss Read the full article response here

Today in a studio we have yet another young entrepreneur, who wants to change the world for a better place! Mihai, together with his colleagues Catalin, Norbert and Julian are about to launch 11HOUR a mobile platform for Home Services like Cleaning, Gardening and Repairs. Sounds very business-y, right? And yet their main goal is to actually build a community that can be trusted by everyone in Denmark. So, how are they planning to achieve that? Stay with us and listen to the story behind 11HOUR! For more information and shownotes, please visit our website www.the5options.com

Today we are continuing our discussion about Productivity from Episode 13! Tune in to listen about our ideas and solutions regarding top 5 productivity problems that companies and small entrepreneurs encounter on their way to success! Jacob (Engberg-Pedersen) asks us about our thoughts on the topic of productivity. He has, together with his team, conducted about 60 interviews with business owners and managed to identify top 5 productivity problems they are dealing with on a daily basis.  What are those? And can we propose a “one-solution-fits-all”  type of advice to resolve them? Stay tuned to find out! Question from Jacob: First of all, I would like to thank you for agreeing to possibly use this on your podcast and have experts answer the questions for me. We have done a lot of market research asking various business owners about what problems they experience regarding productivity. Based on about 60 conversations with business owners, we have identified 5 main problems that business owners tend to deal with.  The Top 5 Problems are: 1.) Distractions and trouble with focusing like loud workspace or environment, interruptions, etc. 2.) Constant task switching that leads to unclarity / the feeling of being busy and lack of time 3.) Endless discussions in meetings with no decisions being made 4.) Trouble getting a comprehensive overview of activities in the company 5.) Lack of workforce or difficulty to find employees fit for the company What I want to know is if you’re experiencing those or if you feel like it’s not an issue for you, I’m curious as to how you solve it. If you’re experiencing it then I would love to hear how it applies in your situation.

Today’s topic is: Overcoming fear. Our guest, Aiste, is only 21 years old, yet she managed to both write and publish a book "Life Notes" and to start her own business “Idiful” in a foreign country. That’s a very impressive record for such a young woman, but did it all come easy to her? In today episode we will explore her journey, including what was she afraid of the most and what helped her to overcome that fear? Stay with us and find out! --- For detailed shownotes and more info about Aiste please visit https://the5options.com/y5o

Today is a big day - we have received our very first Question from the Listener - YAAAY! Jacob (Engberg-Pedersen) asks us about our thoughts on the topic of productivity. He has, together with his team, conducted about 60 interviews with business owners and managed to identify top 5 productivity problems they are dealing with on a daily basis.  What are those? And can we propose a “one-solution-fits-all”  type of advice to resolve them? Stay tuned to find out! Question from Jacob: First of all, I would like to thank you for agreeing to possibly use this on your podcast and have experts answer the questions for me. We have done a lot of market research asking various business owners about what problems they experience regarding productivity. Based on about 60 conversations with business owners, we have identified 5 main problems that business owners tend to deal with.  The Top 5 Problems are: 1.) Distractions and trouble with focusing like loud workspace or environment, interruptions, etc. 2.) Constant task switching that leads to unclarity / the feeling of being busy and lack of time 3.) Endless discussions in meetings with no decisions being made 4.) Trouble getting a comprehensive overview of activities in the company 5.) Lack of workforce or difficulty to find employees fit for the company What I want to know is if you’re experiencing those or if you feel like it’s not an issue for you, I’m curious as to how you solve it. If you’re experiencing it then I would love to hear how it applies in your situation.   ------------ To contact us or get more info, please visit https://the5options.com/sbr

One of the most difficult things for foreigners who decide to start a new life in Denmark is to find friends and build a social life. Interestingly, for Max and Bauti, this doesn't seem to be an issue at all. And that's probably because instead of waiting for "things to happen" they took the initiative and built an inclusive (and pretty exciting) community in Denmark themselves. What is SIAMO STREET? On the surface, it may seem like just another sports club in Denmark, where guys meet to play football. Except, that it happens on the street. And you don't need a team to join. And you don't need to be a guy. Or a Dane. Or, as a matter of fact, you don't even need to know how to play football in the first place.  So, what is SIAMO STREET? Tune in and find out! For show notes and more details about the episode, please visit https://the5options.com

Today we mix things up a little! As Anna is not in the studio, Stine Bjerre takes the co-host seat and interviews Marta on the topic of community building. Can you create a thriving community without a leader? Well, that question is up for discussion in today’s episode of Small Business Rising. Since Anna is not present with us in the studio, we've decided to twist things a little and put Marta in the red seat.  We are diving into the questions of the purpose and need of community. What does it look like in 2020? How important is common purpose and alignment of values in creating community?  Marta shares from her own knowledge and experiences with starting and initiating communities.  She shares her lessons and learnings, and why the ability to fail is important.  Furthermore she tells us a bit about evolutionary organizations and what energy and intuition has to do with it all. Here’s the book we referred to: “Reinventing Organizations” by Frederic Laloux Curious? Then come join us in this conversation. Enjoy, and let us know what you think! -----------  For show notes and more details about the episode, please visit https://the5options.com

This is one funky interview! We had so much fun in the studio with Irene Wong, as she turned out to be one of those guests who gives the most surprising and "out of the box" answers to rather standard questions. Besides being hilarious and entertaining, Irene Wang is the founder and the owner of the internet shop handwritings.dk, that won this year Nordic Planner Society Award for the best online shop.   Handwritings.dk offers - amongst others - everything you need to have in order to start journaling. And it’s interesting, because one may wonder: in the era of smartphones, tablets and digital communication, is writing things “by hand” even a thing anymore?  -------------- For show notes and more details about the episode, please visit https://the5options.com Surprisingly, some research suggests that handwriting activates large regions of the brain responsible for thinking, language, healing and working memory, while others claim that once you write something down it will definitely come true. If that’s so, why do schools and workplaces are becoming more and more digital with almost no opportunities to use our hands for writing anymore? Are we entering an era of reverse evolution? And how can we start handwriting again? Stay with us for the next hour and find out!

Today we’re gonna talk about a foundation of a successful business. Is there a secret? That one, universal, most important thing you need to know that will lead you to success? Or is it as personal as a pair of underwear you’re wearing right now? Join Anna for the next half an hour and let’s find out! ----------- For show notes and more details about the episode, please visit https://the5options.com

In this episode, we are talking about Entrepreneurship as a mirror and map for personal development. Marta, along with a guest co-host Signe, and our lovely guest Candace Stephens walk through this very useful approach to life, which helps us learn from every experience. In this approach, instead of asking why is this happening to me, you can ask why is this happening for me? And just like you can use relationships with your parents, partners and children as a great reflection of your inner reality, you can also use your business as a mirror and map for learning and growing. Candace shares with us that essentially, she has found that through the twists and turns of building a business and owning the entrepreneurship title, she has been confronted with all the areas of herself that need healing, love and growth. She goes deep into the insights of how running a business is comparable to running your life; how so many parts of building a business are really just building yourself up to be the best version of you to run that business. More information about the show, Candace, Signe and Anders Dahl at www.the5options.com.

This episode is dedicated to all small business owners who need money to fund their activities (or their own earthily survival) and need external help but have no resources to pay for it.  It's an introduction to the topic: we will present an overview of many possible options, and you, our listeners are welcome to get in contact with us and let us know which alternative you’d like us to dig into.  For show notes and more details about the episode, please visit https://the5options.com

It's early 2000's and two five-year-old twins brothers are going for their first Taekwondo class. Little do they know that this is how their everlasting passion for health and fitness is going to be sparkled. Almost twenty years later, Prime Minister of Denmarks announces nation-wide lockdown due to Coronavirus pandemic, effectively closing down every small business in a country, including gyms and sport-related classes. The same twin brothers come up with an idea to deliver fitness to every household through... the computer. This is the story of Lofito.  Tune in and join us for an hour of interesting discussion, sporadical fun, and find out if twins really do everything together ;) ----------- For show notes and more details about the episode, please visit https://the5options.com Don't forget to visit Lofito at www.lofito.com

Is it worth to work for free? Many people would argue both ways, giving strong arguments to support their case which can mean that it actually depends on the context of the situation. Today in the studio we are discussing "working for free" from many different angles: if and when should you consider offering your services for free and what can you do in advance to avoid being "screwed over". We'd like to give special thanks to Radostina, who inspired this program with her comment on the group "This Year I buy from a small business (SAAAY WHAT?)"   To learn more about Small Business Rising, get in touch or browse other podcast episodes, please visit our website https://the5options.com

NUMBER ONE reason why people don’t start their own business is the fear of failure. That fear - known to almost every human being - has its deep roots in either the feeling of inadequacy and incompetence, is connected to self-doubts and self-esteem issues or is a result of trauma connected with the past experiences. And yet, some of us are able to overcome it and start their own company in spite of being afraid. How do they do it? Today, we are going to ask exactly this question to Kate Dahl, a founder and a CEO of a consulting agency “Career Denmark” who is going to share with us her long and sometimes rocky journey of establishing her own company. From the moment when Kate got an idea to start her own little consultancy until she actually went for it, nine months have passed. What has finally convinced to go for it and to do it, regardless of the fear of failure? Small Business Rising is a part of The 5 Options Radio Collective. To learn more please visit our website at https://the5options.com. For full shownotes of this episode please visit https://www.the5options.com/sbr-podcast/ep-4-overcoming-the-fear-of-starting-your-own-business-kate-dahl

Have you ever created a rainbow-themed marketing plan in crayon while drawing with your kid? If the answer is no, then you definitely need to tune in for this episode - especially if you think that "you don't have enough time" for your business or passions, Today we are going to talk with Lindsay Keller-Madsen, a Canadian independent book author and a founder of Little Otter Press publishing, who came today to the studio to share her story about origins of her Soulful Business  She will also talk about her experience in launching a Kickstarter campaign (link here) to fund the first print of her book and to tell us if combining entrepreneurship and raising four small children even possible (hint: It is! - No enhancement substances required ;) -------------- In this episode, you had a chance to listen to “Lay Down Your Gun" by Lazy Atomic Eye. If you like the song and would like to show some support, visit their website or share/buy her music here ------------ Lindsay Kellar-Madsen has just launched her Kickstarter campaign in order to fund the first print out of her book! Let's support this superwoman, who wrote "The Lovely Haze of Baby Days" WHILE IN LOCKDOWN WITH 4 SMALL CHILDREN AT HOME (including 1-year-old twins)!   WHO IS THE BOOK FOR? For all the moms and moms-to-be   WHAT IS IT ABOUT? "This is a new kind of board book, featuring beautiful illustrations depicting everyday moments moms share with their babies with a witty, but the candid text for the reader, mama! It gives little ones an early introduction to language through rhyme, and for mothers is a book of solidarity, to help them get through the tough days and the sleepless nights."   I AM NOT A MOTHER, SHOULD I BE INTERESTED ANYWAY? Yes! It's an amazing gift for a baby shower, baptism, or a first visit after the baby is born. So think about that new mom or mom-to-be in your circle of friends and buy her this amazing, locally produced book.   Link to Kickstarter here   Small Business Rising is a part of The 5 Options Radio Collective. To learn more please visit our website at https://the5options.com

Small Business is the backbone of the local community - not only because it promotes variety, creativity and diversity, but also because it gives the community economical strength and relative independence from "the system". Today we discuss WHY, and more importantly, HOW can every single one we support small business owners - especially in 2020, also known as "WTF Year". Sources used in this episode: How Shoppers Can Support Small Businesses (And Why We Should) 17 Ways to Help Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19 12 Ways We Can All Support Small Businesses (Even While Social Distancing) ----------- For more info please visit our decently-looking-bot-so-shabby website: https://the5options.com

In her early 20’s, Beckie has stumbled upon a book about Yoga in a public library. She read it with an interest but didn’t make much of it. Little did she know, that this innocent encounter will have a profound impact on her life (after all, you know what they say - big things often have small beginnings, right?). Throughout her adult life, Beckie was making a career in procurement, patiently climbing the steps of a corporate ladder. Years have passed and the initial “high”, caused by success and financial affluence faded away and started to be gradually replaced by a lack of fulfilment, stress, and burnout. When she encountered difficulties with getting pregnant, Beckie finally realized that the corporate rat race she has been participating in for over a decade has been profoundly impacting her emotional well-being, her health and her fertility. She made a difficult decision to quit her job and focus on finding her inner peace through practising yoga. Once Beckie decided to leave the corporate world behind and follow her passion, things started to line up in her life with ease and grace, almost like there was an invisible thread that was pulling her in the right direction. Today Beckie (who is originally from the UK) lives in Vejle, Denmark with her husband and three-year-old son. She runs her own yoga practice Blue Sky Yoga Vejle, with her landmark class “Baby and Mama Yoga”. She also co-manages Mothering the Mother: Vejle - a support group for new moms (both international and Danish) in their first postpartum weeks - and organizes “Mini Mom Retreats”, where women can get together to talk, practice yoga and mediation and have a glass of wine if needed ;). She recently started to expand her business activities even further by taking on the role of a wellness and physical well-being advocate who educates people about essential oils and natural substitutes for “everyday chemicals”. Tune in and listen to our very first Small Business Rising interview with wonderful, authentic and vulnerable Beckie Andrews.   —————— How to get in touch with Beckie? Website Facebook   ————— In this episode, you had a chance to listen to “Thank you” by Ioana Sings. If you like Ioana’s music and would like to show some support, visit her website or share/buy her music here  --------------- Small Business Rising is a part of The 5 Options Radio Collective. To learn more please visit our website at https://the5options.com

In just a couple of days, we are launching our new baby "Small Business Rising" into the podcasting world and we are truly blessed to have an independent local artist Ioana Sings, donating her song "Thank You" as our intro/outro jingle. Listen to her song in its full length and glory and if you liked it - don't hesitate to support Ioana and her music here: https://www.ioanasings.com/  Song "Thank You" available to listen and download here: https://song.link/i/1526825821