Kira Lynn and Alane Kovach are two of the three masterminds behind Wanna Spoon Cereal Bar, a cereal-lously delicious new business concept that opened this summer in Nashville's 12 South neighborhood.Wanna Spoon serves up nostalgia by the bowl with 20+ varieties of cereal (think: Fruity Pebbles, Lucky Charms, and Froot Loops) . The family-friendly spot goes beyond the bowl with indoor and outdoor murals (murals of Marilyn Monroe and Jimi Hendrix), picnic-style seating with umbrellas, and lawn games like corn hole. (Source: Nash Today)We sat down with the entrepreneurs to talk about the story behind creating Nashville's first cereal bar concept, and how they came together to create it.About The Founders:Kira Lynn originally moved to Nashville to pursue her music career. While she was actively working on chasing her dream as an artist, she also had another dream in the back of her mind. She dreamt of having a place where you could go for cereal at any time of day. Her parents advised her to write a business plan and come up with a name, which ended up being “Wanna Spoon”. Kira was introduced to a couple by the names of Alane and Steve Kovach, who had a residential house next to Emery Wood Fired - another restaurant of theirs that was soon to be open. The couple loved the idea and the rest is history. Kira Lynn and her business partners Alane and Steve Kovach are excited to grow this business and hope to open up more locations. Kira will also continue to work on her music as well, with the two new song releases called ‘Colorado’ and ‘Love you no more’.  Stay tuned for all that’s to come with Nashville’s first cereal bar and this exciting new venture with Wanna Spoon Cereal Bar!Alane and Steve Kovach have been partners in building restaurants, beginning in Nashville since 2013.  The couple has opened:Nashville Street Tacos The Stillery DowntownThe Stillery MidtownBig Jimmys Burgers DowntownThe Emery 12 SouthDuring construction of The Emery, they were able to secure the residence behind it on Carothers Ave.  Initially Alane wanted to dress it up and run an Airbnb to generate income.  Then, they met Kira! Kira had a Cereal Bar Concept in mind, and they were excited to put that into motion!  During start up conversations with all of Kira and Steve's creative ideas, Alane was busy doing Coffee Research by seeking out and sampling not only coffees around the country, but Espresso Machines around the world.  After 18 months, Alane ordered a LaMarzocco Espresso machine from Italy, sourced Intellegentia Coffee from Chicago, and procured 12 Souths best Baristas to make their dream happen.  They now have the best coffee in all of Nashville!Learn more: https://www.wannaspoon.us About Renaissance Marketing Group:Renaissance Marketing Group is a full-service social media marketing agency based in Nashville and Atlanta. The Renaissance team is made up of a talented group of passionate creatives and marketers, committed to the success of their clients and passionate about helping business owners succeed. Founded in December 2014, the female-founded company delivers proven social media marketing results. Their services include social media management, content creation, paid digital advertising, email and SMS Text marketing, influencer marketing, graphic design, branding, professional photography and videography, TikTok and Reels creation, marketing strategy, podcast production, and more. Renaissance is committed to influencing optimal revenue and online growth, while exceeding their client’s expectations.In 2021, Renaissance announced the launch of their nonprofit, The Mona Lisa Foundation. The Mona Lisa Foundation was created from a love and passion for supporting women on their entrepreneurial journeys and focuses on offering mentorship, marketing,

Collective 615 is a diverse women's co-working community in Nashville designed by women, for women. The membership-based business is made up of passionate entrepreneurs (from small team startups to established solopreneurs) who are ready to connect, collaborate, and elevate their brands beyond expectation. Kathy Thomas dreamed of opening a women's co-working space that impacted other women and provided them an opportunity to own their work environment and welcome clients into professional space outside of coffee shops and home.  She also wanted a female-focused creative community that overflowed with support, idea sharing, and the drive to move to the next level. She soon discovered other female entrepreneurs were looking for the exact same thing. When Kathy found a large space in historic L&L Marketplace in West Nashville, Kathy knew something bigger was at play. This building she dreamed of working in, fueled a new dream—creating Nashville’s first female-owned and operated coworking space. In addition to running Collective 615, Kathy has a thriving photography business. Kathy Thomas Photography is an internationally published brand, and Kathy travels the globe to photograph her clients and celebrities.Learn more about Collective 615 by visiting: https://www.collective615.comAbout Renaissance Marketing Group:Renaissance Marketing Group is a full-service social media marketing agency based in Nashville and Atlanta. The Renaissance team is made up of a talented group of passionate creatives and marketers, committed to the success of their clients and passionate about helping business owners succeed. Founded in December 2014, the female-founded company delivers proven social media marketing results. Their services include social media management, content creation, paid digital advertising, email and SMS Text marketing, influencer marketing, graphic design, branding, professional photography and videography, TikTok and Reels creation, marketing strategy, podcast production, and more. Renaissance is committed to influencing optimal revenue and online growth, while exceeding their client’s expectations.In 2021, Renaissance announced the launch of their nonprofit, The Mona Lisa Foundation. The Mona Lisa Foundation was created from a love and passion for supporting women on their entrepreneurial journeys and focuses on offering mentorship, marketing, and business education, grant money, and community to Nashville-based female business owners.Learn more: www.renaissancemarketinggroup.com 

“People are not your most important asset. The right people are.” – Jim CollinsIn this week's episode, we are sharing our 5 steps to hiring your dream team.  At Renaissance Marketing Group, it has taken us 4 years to have the team in place that we always dreamed about. Sydney and Walker share what it was like making the first hire back in 2018 and how the team has evolved since then. Here are the 5 Steps To Hiring Your Dream Team that discuss in detail in the episode:1. First, know who you are as a business. Know your mission and core values. Be confident in all that you are as a business so that you attract candidates who align with your mission and values.2. Find out your WHY in hiring - are you hiring just to hire? Figure out exactly what you need in bringing on this additional person and be honest with yourself.3. Make sure you can afford it! 4. Be transparent: Be upfront to potential employees on where you are financially as a business.5. Find your team: Walker shares where we find the majority of our new hires at RMG.About Renaissance Marketing Group:Renaissance Marketing Group is a full-service social media marketing agency based in Nashville and Atlanta. The Renaissance team is made up of a talented group of passionate creatives and marketers, committed to the success of their clients and passionate about helping business owners succeed. Founded in December 2014, the female-founded company delivers proven social media marketing results. Their services include social media management, content creation, paid digital advertising, email and SMS Text marketing, influencer marketing, graphic design, branding, professional photography and videography, TikTok and Reels creation, marketing strategy, podcast production, and more. Renaissance is committed to influencing optimal revenue and online growth, while exceeding their client’s expectations.In 2021, Renaissance announced the launch of their nonprofit, The Mona Lisa Foundation. The Mona Lisa Foundation was created from a love and passion for supporting women on their entrepreneurial journeys and focuses on offering mentorship, marketing, and business education, grant money, and community to Nashville-based female business owners.As a young start-up agency, we have experienced nearly 150% growth year/year. We are looking to bring on motivated team members and clients who reflect our core values, understand our vision, and are looking to grow alongside us!Learn more at www.renaissancemarketinggroup.com

This week, we welcome Tina Phillips, founder of 615 Innovations to the show! Tina is an experienced business development executive with almost 15 years of proven success generating bottom-line revenue for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations through new client acquisition and retention, new product development, marketing and brand-building strategies, and identifying and maintaining strategic partnerships. She is also the daughter of two small business entrepreneurs and, before the age of 30, became an equity owner herself of a multi-million dollar government affairs firm in Washington, DC. In 2020, Tina decided to leverage her experience in sales and marketing and start 615innovations, a business development consulting firm whose mission is to empower small business owners and startup founders with innovative strategy and implementation services needed to become industry leaders and trailblazers. Tina is also an advisor for entrepreneurs (and future entrepreneurs!) at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, TN, The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, and Vanderbilt University’s Innovation Center, The Wond’ry.In the interview, Sydney, Walker, and Tina talk all things sales and marketing for small business owners such as:- Common challenges faced by small business owners when it comes to sales and marketing- How to develop a customer journey and sales process- How to get leads to convert- How to define and hone in on your ideal customer- How to follow up with a sales prospect- How to negotiate in the sales process -How NOT to prospect a potential customer/client- The formula for a business elevator pitchLearn more and connect with Tina and her company by following them on Instagram @615Innovations or visiting their website https://615innovations.com 

Sydney is back co-hosting this week and shares how life is going as a new mom! In this week’s episode, Walker and Sydney take questions from the listeners about social media marketing. Here’s what they cover in this episode:- How to best spot trends on social media- Social listening and how you can use it to create viral posts- How you can capitalize on trending reels, posts, and social media conversations- How to put together a successful social media marketing strategy that converts- Their predictions for what will be the next big thing in social media marketing

This week, we welcome Kirbee Miller, Founder of KiNiMi Kitchen, to the podcast. Kirbee Miller is the Owner and Chief Experience Officer of KiNiMi Kitchen, a community-driven business that cultivates immersive experiences to promote inclusion and connection. Kirbee put down roots in Nashville after obtaining her degree in Biology and Masters in Healthcare informatics. Alongside her career in healthcare, she launched KiNiMi Kitchen; a multi-dimensional brand around the idea that food is a powerful equalizer leading to beautiful conversation and connection. KiNiMi Kitchen has grown a devout following through keynote speaking, television appearances, event hosting, and moderating.In this episode, Emily Bilicki, Social Media Strategist on the Renaissance team, joins us as co-host in the place of Sydney. She and Walker sat down with Kirbee and talk all things food, how to deal with adversity, being multi-passionate, and when to listen to the universe. Other topics we discuss: How to know that you’re on the right pathHow to navigate a nonlinear path How to be aware that you are on autopilot and how to use autopilot to your advantage but also know when to turn it offConnecting to others through food The importance of reinvention and reimaging You can join Kirbee’s journey and stay connected by following her at https://www.instagram.com/kirbeeandco/ or you can visit https://kinimikitchen.com . 

This week we welcome Lucy Miller, the founder of Tennessee Women Connect to The Renaissance Podcast. Lucy was looking for a networking group to fit her needs. Not finding exactly what she wanted and noticing a need for a professional women’s networking opportunity in Williamson County, she started events in January of 2020. What she found as 2020 wrapped up and 2021 got off to a fast start, was that women were looking for opportunities to make real connections, in person, and were excited to collaborate with others. In this weeks episode, Sydney and Walker sat down with Lucy to talk all things networking, true connections, balancing a business and family and abundance. Other topics we discuss: - Creating a business out of a white space - Growing through a pandemic - Importance of abundance - Balancing work/life - Events Learn more about this incredible organization at https://tnwomenconnect.com and follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tnwomenconnect/ 

“At Happenstance, we're raising a new generation of whiskey lovers who celebrate life's moments that happen by chance.”  - Paige ParkerPaige is the Founder & CEO of Happenstance Distilling Co. – A Nashville based whiskey company that launched its flagship Founder’s Edition Straight Bourbon Whiskey in 2021. Happenstance was born out of a need for a more approachable bourbon, both in palate and design. Paige wanted to create a brand that paid homage to the tradition of American bourbons that had come before, but with a contemporary twist… so, Happenstance was born. A 90-proof, full bodied blend of vanilla, hazelnut, toffee, caramel tones and a rye finish define the Happenstance palate.Happenstance is currently the only 100% female owned and operated whiskey brand to call Music City home. Happenstance has been featured in Fox News, Yahoo! Finance, the Nashville Business Journal, Nashville Lifestyles and has been spotted around town popping up whiskey bars for Rachel Zoe’s Curateur brand, White’s Mercantile and Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James 12 South storefront.  Paige got her start in the alcohol industry with Anheuser-Busch where she learned the fundamentals of the alcohol business while working with corporate partners and in-house brands on plans for localized distribution, marketing, sales and events. Paige is also a recent MBA graduate from Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Business.In this week’s episode, Sydney and Walker sat down with Paige to talk about how the young entrepreneur innovated her own whiskey brand completely from scratch. We discuss her past career working in marketing for Anheuser-Busch, which led to her becoming aware of an opportunity in the spirits space. Other topics we discuss:- How to make your brand/product stand out in a saturated industry- Innovating a new brand/product in a mostly male-dominated industry- The story of Happenstance- Pivoting from a career in corporate to taking the leap into entrepreneurship- Branding a beverage product- Happenstance’s unique marketing approach- The role that Nashville plays in influencing HappenstanceLearn more about this new female-founded whiskey brand by visiting their website https://happenstancewhiskey.com/ and follow them on Instagram at https://instagram.com/happenstancewhiskey

This week, we welcome Shannen Stewart to The Renaissance Podcast! Shannen is the Founder of Heels & Handshakes, an all membership organization for business owners and women in business. When Shannen moved back to Nashville in 2012 after being immersed in the hospitality industry in Orlando, she found that she missed having a community of women to lean on. She created Heels & Handshakes in 2013 to ensure that the multitude of women that made up the majority of the workforce would all have positive and collaborative interactions to enrich their lives both professionally and personally. What started out as ten women meeting for cocktails and conversations has evolved to over 3,000 women in the Middle Tennessee community, and the collaborative spirit has grown with it. In the episode, Ashley McDuffie, Social Media Strategist and Graphic Designer on the Renaissance team joins us as co-host in place of Sydney, and shares her experience working with the Heels & Handshakes organization. Here’s what you’ll hear about in the episode:How Shannen listened to her members during the pandemic to give them what they needed to succeed The importance of collaboration over competition Focusing on quality over quantity when networkingHow to work smarter not harderHow to weed out toxicity in your life and careerLeaving a corporate job to pivot to purpose-driven entrepreneurshipWhat “STRUT” means in the Heels & Handshakes community and how important it is to share yours as a womanLearn more about Heels & Handshakes by visiting: https://www.heelsandhandshakes.comGet social with Heels & Handshakes: https://www.instagram.com/heelsandhandshakes/ About Renaissance Marketing Group:Renaissance Marketing Group is a full-service social media marketing agency based in Nashville and Atlanta. The Renaissance team is made up of a talented group of passionate creatives and marketers, committed to the success of their clients and passionate about helping business owners succeed. Founded by Sydney R. Dozier in 2014, RMG delivers proven social media marketing results. Their services include social media management, content creation, paid digital advertising, email and SMS Text marketing, influencer marketing, graphic design, branding, professional photography and videography, TikTok and Reels creation, marketing strategy, and more. Renaissance is committed to influencing optimal revenue and online growth, while exceeding their client’s expectations.In 2021, Renaissance announced the launch of their nonprofit, The Mona Lisa Foundation. The Mona Lisa Foundation was created from a love and passion for supporting women on their entrepreneurial journeys and focuses on offering mentorship, marketing, and business education, grant money, and community to Nashville-based female business owners.Learn more: www.renaissancemarketinggroup.com 

Description: This week, we welcome Becca Gardner, Founder and CEO of Alt Distilling and innovator behind NKD LDY (pronounced Naked Lady) to The Renaissance Podcast. Becca is committed to making lasting changes to the culture of drinking, by creating a safe and emotionally rewarding experience through her non alcoholic spirits and promoting realness with her authentic brand message. Having a previous career in strategy consulting, Becca found herself frequently working while traveling and dining with clients, which led to an alcohol-heavy lifestyle. Struggling with burnout after a decade in the field, Becca took a sabbatical in London where she was romanticized by the accessibility of non alcoholic beverages. Always one to stand up for a cause, she left wanting to make this type of lifestyle choice easily attainable for those in the States, where drinks are often encouraged in both work and social spaces. Becca was inspired to create a brand that reignites the social aspect of drinking without the pressures or induced courage of alcohol. Recognizing that many nondrinkers avoid events simply because of the questioning they’ll receive, Becca has created a space where what people drink is not the focus and is, in fact, rather inconsequential.In the episode, we discuss:- Becca's past and her journey to sobriety- The pivotal moment that inspired her to leave her successful career as a Strategy Consultant and pivot to entrepreneurship and launch nonalcoholic spirits brand, NKD LDY- Innovating in a new industry and going up against the male-dominated alcohol industry - Dealing with Imposter Syndrome- The Sober Curious movement