If you need a hit of encouragement, inspiration, and real talk from a parent who is juggling running a business, homeschooling her two young children, and supporting a partner who is working full time from home, this is the episode for you! ⁠ Teresa Ruiz Decker, owner of Dream Catch Consulting, takes us on a journey—from making the decision to start a business when she was laid off 3 years ago, to hard lessons she’s learned along the way, important advice she wants you to know if you’re considering this type of work, how she juggles it all during a global pandemic, and more! ⁠ She is a wealth of knowledge to anyone interested in starting their own consulting business. We were absolutely blown away at the amount of wisdom she dropped in less than an hour. So whether or not you’re interested in this specific industry, we would highly recommend listening to this one!⁠⁠ If you're interested in learning more about what Teresa does, check out dreamcatchconsulting.com!⁠

Our CFO, Beth Gummere, has 20+ years of experience cleaning up small business finances. To say that she’s seen a lot over the years would be an understatement. If you’ve been around for a while, you know that one of our main goals is to help you avoid painful, stressful, costly mistakes that can be prevented with education and discipline. So for this episode of the Kenza Pod, Beth pulled together the top 10 mistakes that she has seen small businesses make time and time again with the goal of helping you to avoid them! Ultimately, our hope for you is that you can stay focused on selling whatever great skill or product you have, and not have to hire someone like Beth to come clean up mistakes that could have been prevented. Links from the show: The Capacity Planning Tool (mentioned in the beginning of the episode) All Finance Friday Episodes

Attention California Independent Contractors or anyone who hires them - this episode is a must-listen! ⁠ Beth Gummere, Kenza's CFO, and Brandon Smith, Attorney at Law, share with us the ins and outs of the new(ish) AB5 Law in CA. Even if you work outside of California, this information is still great to know, as other states either have similar laws or will most likely adopt something similar in the years to come. ⁠⁠ In this episode we cover: ⁠⁠ Why this law exists in the first place. ⁠ A breakdown of how the law actually works (in layman's terms), who it applies to, and who is exempt.⁠ How to use AB5 to gain a competitive edge. ⁠ Predictions on how the law will change over time.⁠ Practical next steps you can take to protect yourself and your clients. ⁠ Check it out and be sure to share it with anyone who may benefit from knowing about this information! Because...#themoreyouknow⁠ Brandon is a wealth of knowledge and we cannot recommend him enough for all of your small business's legal needs. You can find his website and learn more about his other services at www.brandonjsmithlaw.com.⁠ Be sure to also follow him on Instagram and Facebook!

Ever since Kevin was in 8th grade, he has dreamed about becoming a Real Estate Agent. When his first child was born, he knew it was time to take the plunge into working for himself so that he could create the flexible lifestyle & schedule that his family needed. In this episode, we dispel the myth that you have to go “all in” on working for yourself - quit your job, take a huge risk, and just DO IT. For some people, that might work. But for others, that’s just not necessary. Kevin shares with us how he worked with his employer to go part time while he built up his real estate business. He was able to provide health insurance and extra cash for his family, while also pursuing his dreams - win/win! Kevin’s story is one of inspiration for anyone who is nervous to take the full plunge into entrepreneurship and is looking for a way to ease into it. We hope you enjoy hearing his story...we sure did! Topics covered include: How Kevin got creative by working with his employer to go part-time while pursuing his dreams. What the process was like to take classes and get licensed all while juggling his responsibilities as a husband and new parent. The 2 things he wished someone had told him in the beginning. How he sets boundaries with his clients to protect his family time. How he gets his two daughters involved in his business. Why he decided to partner with a friend and how that relationship has grown over the years. Plus, he provides his contact info for anyone interested in reaching out to learn more! You can learn more about Kevin and Brandon’s realty group at https://smithburgoon.com/, and be sure to follow them on Instagram @smithandburgoonrg and Facebook @smithburgoon. If you have questions, want to learn more about becoming an agent, or buying/selling real estate in the Sacramento area, email [email protected].

In this week’s Finance Friday, we sit down with Kirstin Smith, Enrolled Agent and small business tax expert, as well as Beth Gummere, Kenza’s CFO, about the when and why of incorporating. We answer questions like: What does it even mean to incorporate and why should I consider it? Should I consider incorporating before even getting started? Who do I talk to for help with understanding the benefits of this? How much money could this save me? What's involved in incorporating? What are some advantages and disadvantages? As with any finance-related advice you get here at Kenza, please be sure to consult with a local expert in your area before doing anything major. These episodes are intended for informational and educational use only. Kirstin Smith can be found at BalancedTax.Solutions. Additional local resources can be found at your local Small Business Development Center. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us as we shape the future of Kenza. Get in touch on Instagram @kenzacollective, email us at [email protected], and be sure to sign up for updates at kenzacollective.com. We can't wait to get to know you!

In this episode of the Kenza Pod, Tiffany sits down with 3 women entrepreneurs who are balancing a mixture of consulting, freelancing, and reinvention while also juggling childcare with young children at home.  We talk about life and dreams before the pandemic, and they open up about how much that has changed over the last few months. They each share practical tips and advice on how they’re making it work, including time management tricks, how they communicate with their partners, what they do for self care, and much more. We wrap up with notes of positivity, discussing some of the good things that have come from this time, despite how incredibly difficult it is. If you are a parent who is juggling freelancing, consulting, or running a small business, this is an episode that you don’t want to miss! Where to find our guests: Jenna Alcala is a professional advertising photographer, and you can check out her beautiful work on Instagram @jennaalcala. Lisa Cappeloni is a content marketing consultant, and she can be found on LinkedIn. Rachael Harms Mahlandt is a Communications & Marketing Manager and can also be found on LinkedIn. Be sure to follow us at @kenzacollective and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, feedback, or requests. Enjoy!

A full written summary with links is available on our website! Check it out. In this episode of Finance Friday, we sit down with tax expert and Enrolled Agent, Kirstin Smith. She has been doing taxes for over 20 years, and specializes in small business and solopreneur tax preparation and advice. Before becoming an Enrolled Agent, she taught herself how to prepare people’s taxes while at home with two young children. Now, 20 years later, her daughter works for her part time, and she has her own company - Balanced Tax Solutions. We go through the top 5 pieces of advice that she wants freelancers to know about understanding their taxes. Plus, we talk briefly about how to become an Enrolled Agent if that’s something that interests you! Links from the show: Show notes and a written summary can be found here. To find Kirstin, you check her her website here! Other helpful links that were mentioned in the pod: https://americassbdc.org/ https://www.irs.gov/

The goal of the "So ya wanna be a…" Kenza Pod series is to hear stories from other parents like you who have started their own businesses while raising a family. ⁠ We’ll explore both well-known and lesser-known freelance jobs, discuss how and why they got started, what skills they had that served them well, what skills they needed to learn, what the journey has been like as they’ve juggled working and parenting, and any pro-tips they may have if you’re considering a similar path. ⁠⁠ Our very first Soyawannabea episode is with Sarah Cook from SustainableCooks.com - a blog dedicated to budget-friendly sustainable recipes and balanced living.⁠Go follow her; you won't regret it! We cover so many great topics in this episode including: How & when she decided to take the leap into full time blogging. ⁠ What kind of training she needed to pay for and research to make this work. ⁠ How many hours per week she works as she juggles two young children at home and a husband with a full time job as a firefighter.⁠ How the pandemic has effected her business. How she's made this a sustainable revenue source for her family.⁠ ⁠...and lots more!!⁠ If you’ve ever considered blogging, this is the episode for you!⁠ LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Where to find Sarah: Website: https://sustainablecooks.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frugalsarahc/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sustainablecooks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablecooks/ Food Blogger Pro Podcast: https://www.foodbloggerpro.com/podcast/ A course that Sarah wishes she could have taken when she first started blogging - An organized roadmap to starting and running a profitable blog: https://katekordsmeier.samcart.com/referral/fCEH7ITf/Kh3C79ZtEQPf86wh

Tiffany taps into her experience running a super busy design agency and shares her top 3 tips for managing jam-packed days with lots of moving parts. These are strategies you can put into place right away that will help you be as productive as possible with kids at home. Got an unexpected 15-minute window to knock something out? Learn how to be prepared for that! Your plans shifted for the day? Know exactly how to pivot and make a new plan.  Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us as we shape the future of The Kenza Collective. Get in touch on Instagram @kenzacollective, email us at [email protected], and be sure to sign up for updates at kenzacollective.com. We can't wait to get to know you!

We've all heard about Business Plans and there are a tonnnnnnn of different opinions and strategies out there about what this should be and whether or not you even need one.⁠ In this episode we dive into why we think it's absolutely crucial for you to sit down and think through your business plan. We'll pose some questions for you to consider, and spend time unpacking how this is more than just a document - it's a tool that you can use to really think through what it is you're actually trying to do, and how you plan to make it work. ⁠ We hope this is helpful!⁠ Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us as we shape the future of The Kenza Collective. Get in touch on Instagram @kenzacollective, email us at [email protected], and be sure to sign up for updates at kenzacollective.com. We can't wait to get to know you!