Sticker Stories Podcast

Izzy Fischer is Colorado-born entrepreneur and endurance athlete that found a plant-based lifestyle through a combination of her personal battles with inflammation and food allergies while training for triathlons. Currently, she lives in Boston and works as a data analyst at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University while pursuing her Masters in Science in Nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. These experiences led her to start her first company, Plant Bites, whose mission is to take processed sugar and food out of endurance sports. Fischer's goal is to change the mindset in athletics where fuel equals candy. Her business acumen and entrepreneurial nature is a family trait, as she was one of the first video personalities for StickerGiant where she played a big part in the early days of marketing at StickerGiant. Listen in as she shares how her business has gained funding and what it's like to build a startup in the sports nutrition space.

Sergio Ojeda is the musician behind TexMexChex, an inventive folk dance project offering up soul-filled music packed with electrifying melodies and the drumbeats of the cumbia norteña. TexMexChex channels the joyous communal experience of a Mexican dance and Ojeda’s Tex-Mex roots. Ojeda’s work showcases his deep passion for Latin American folk music as well as his fine-tuned ear for production, superior musicianship and sense of pure joy. He is a master at bringing out the distinct voices of each instrument he incorporates into his compositions, which overflow with lush Gabbanelli accordion, bright tenor saxophone, lively organ and infectious rhythms. The larger-than-life TexMexChex sound sparkles during playful performances and recordings that reflect Ojedo’s magnetic personality and mission to create shared memories and moments through music. TexMexChex’s debut single, “Que Tengas Suerte” is a fresh, dynamic instrumental interpretation of a Tex-Mex/Tejano folk dance tune. Offering up tropical rhythms, che

Jenny Penton is the founder of Planner Perfect, a company whose mission is to inspire women to Write a Better Story and become a visionary that can and map a life they love. She's sold over 200,000 planners, notebooks, journals and leather traveler's notebooks; plus countless rolls of washi tape and stickers. Planner Perfect ships to all 50 states and numerous countries world wide. Jenny created the Planner Perfect Method with corresponding planners and journals that are set-up as a tool to give anyone structure for their day and to give purpose for their lives. These planners, journals, and accessories are made with the finest paper, stitched with beautiful red thread and Jenny's artwork is featured on all of the books. Listen in as Jenny shares the Planner Perfect story and where the business is headed next.

Merline Engle is a Haitian-American who is passionate about education, hospitality and entrepreneurship. She’s committed to continuing her family’s legacy of giving back to her motherland. Merline remembered well how her grand father would make his students repeat: “Education is the only key to a better life.” Growing up in a diverse and international household helped Merline learn to serve as a bridge between Haitian and other internationals. She founded Wozo in 2006 to act as the Haiti Partners’ community choir, then started the Bellevue guest house, and she is the designer behind the handmade Haitian greeting cards crafted at the Children’s Academy. Merline is also a Co-founder of the Children’s Academy where she continues to play an active role. Merline is many things, the creator of Merline’s Hot Sauce, a foodie, a nature lover, a lifelong learner and a mentor. Listen in as we talk about starting an educational non-profit and a hot sauce brand that honors the past to build the future.

Co-hosted by Harris Kenny and Shawn Hymel, Hello Blink Show is a practical podcast for technical people who want to start their own company. From founding to building your business, Harris and Shawn are there to help. We spoke about business strategy and growth planning and how they strive to give aspiring entrepreneurs value through their podcast. We also touched on how their professional experiences brought them together and how that informs their own business.

Alejandro Rodriguez and his business partner Edward Perea started Summit Tacos as a taco truck, their dream was to open a storefront in Longmont to serve their passionate fans who adored their take on Mexican Street food. Now that they have their restaurant, they are focused on serving the cuisine of Mexico City to fans old and new. They worked hard from day one with their brand, and the many miles they put onto their food truck paid off once they opened up in Downtown Longmont. We spoke to Alejandro about transitioning from their food truck business into a physical space and how they view food as culture and community.

Welcome to Stickers on the Mic, the podcast from StickerGiant. On our show, we talk to our customers about business, growth and marketing, and we are going to share the stories behind the custom stickers and labels that we print in our factory. Every day millions of people use stickers to promote their brands and to label their products, and it's these people that will be the focus of this podcast. Along the way, we'll dig into business strategy, specifically how small businesses marketing themselves and grow. To do so, we'll also welcome on the show business experts and members of the StickerGiant team as guests. Be sure to sign up on Spotify or your favorite podcatcher and search for Stickers on the Mic. Lastly, check out the podcast page on our website, stickergiant.com/podcast where you can learn more about our guests and previous episodes. See you soon, friends...and as we like to say, Every Sticker Has A Story: What's Yours?

Keith Stoeckeler is the VP/Group Director of Digital at MKTG, an advertising and marketing agency. We connected with Keith on Twitter, and we invited him on the show to talk about digital strategy, content development, social listening and advertiser insights in the early days of Covid-19. He brought to our show a perspective based on early trends and marketing efforts during the coronavirus situation across the United States. Keith is a cheeseburger addict and typeface admirer, who claims he won’t eat at a restaurant based on the signage and menu font. You can find him on Twitter at @keiths.

Stephanie Baudhuin from Crummies Meatless Crumbles talks about how their delicious plant-based meat alternative behaves like ground meat in any recipe using seven ingredients come from the land and not the lab. She started building this food idea in 2017 after cutting out commercialized meat full-time. Then she testing and refined the recipe. Now this online business is adapting to Covid19, and Stephanie talks about all of her entrepreneurial adventures up until this point. There's something for every stage of entrepreneur to enjoy in this episode.

Long-time friends and nonprofit professionals Brittny and Nia started The Nonprofit Reframe Podcast to talk about the realities of the sector that nobody wants to talk about. They wanted to create something different that wasn't just another nonprofit best practices podcast. The show covers topics like dysfunctional boards, gala mishaps, the issues with philanthropy and much more. Nia and Brittny joined us to share their journey as podcasters, and how nonprofit staff are adapting during Covid-19 and social distancing.

Crystal Sagan started Cocktail Caravan to serve custom drinks for bespoke events. To create the concept, she took her mixology background and then applied her ingrained entrepreneurship to build out an old camping trailer that travels around Colorado to weddings, trade shows and corporate parties. She talks with our team about the new Community Support Cocktail project she launched in the midst of Covid-19 and what the future holds for events businesses.

Pete Jokisch started Teakoe Teas as an alternative energy source during his time as a professional lacrosse player, and he's grown the business in a nationwide distributor with three product lines. In this episode he talks about how the company grew and how they are contributing to the #ColoradoStrong campaign to recognize front-line workers during Covid-19 in Colorado.

Dave Hamilton started The Mac Observer in 1998, and then created BackBeat Media with his business partners. By 2005 he had started the Mac Geek Gab podcast where each week he talks all about Apple developments in the world of Apple products. In 2015, he started The Small Business Show to share the successes and growing pains of small businesses. In this conversation, he also discusses how he's spent the last two decades building a community around his media properties and what he's noticed as blogging and podcasting have gone mainstream in the last ten years.

Eric Kean from Left Hand Brewing joins us to share a special announcement about the Colorado Strong Pale Ale project, a benefit beer made with Colorado ingredients by Colorado breweries to support the local supply chain, neighborhood breweries, and raise funds for the Colorado Strong Fund to provide aid in response to the impacts of Covid-19 across Colorado. StickerGiant provided the label design and is offering a label donation for all brewers who participate. 20% of all sales of Colorado Strong Pale Ale will return to the Colorado Strong Fund and will be allocated directly to provide assistance to healthcare, hospitality, service industry, and gig economy workers across the state.

Julie Benoit and Stephanie Sterling are the duo behind Longmont’s newest brick and mortar shop, Maker General. The two Baltimore transplants were inspired to open the shop after years of working creatively, teaching, and toying with the idea of opening a creative space. The vision behind Maker General is to be a "general store" for makers who are working with textiles and fibers and to build the maker community as a hub for creatives in vibrant Longmont. They joined host Alison to talk about how Maker General is adapting during Covid-19 and how they are still selling hand-picked goods and supplies, while also offering a wide variety of DIY workshops and classes.

Kenny McMillan that specializes in original, branded, and short-form content. His company OWL BOT provides premium production and post production services as well as turnkey content creation for independent outlets and large corporations alike. Learn how he's growing his brand and produce high-quality work for clients in all industries.

Brendan Leonard started Semi-Rad in 2011 as a blog, and since then he's gained acclaim as an author, speaker and now the purveyor of branded illustrations and other merchandise on his sponsored website. Semi-Rad is more than a brand, it's an ethos for those who love to get outdoors and experience nature.

Cliff Couvillon started Leisuremann's Cocktails after a backcountry hiking trip with his friends. Cliff found that a portable cocktail mix paired well with adventure and travel, and in this episode he shares how he's coming up with new flavors and label designs to grow the Leisuremann's brand.

Mia Semingson of Two Hands Paperie talks about how she's growing a nearly 30-year-old brick-and-mortar artist supply business using a mix of new product acquisitions and in-store classes that enhance the retail experience on Pearl Street in Boulder.

Kiptoe is creator who makes his work come to life through stories and animations infused into paintings and videos. Listen in as Kiptoe chats with Andrew about how his new sticker packs are an example of his ability to transform his large-scale, real-world murals into compact, portable pieces of art. Read more at: https://www.stickergiant.com/blog/globetrotting-mural-artist-kiptoe-creates-traveling-art-with-sticker-packs/