Introduce Yourself: Post Your Autobiography 💁📖

[Pesso]

Hey Square Readers!

Thank you so much for joining our Square Readers Book Club!

Don’t forget to click Join Group at the top of our Book Club Group Hub.

I would love to learn more about you all, so here's a space to introduce yourselves and to meet some fellow Readers. 

So tell us a bit about yourself here in the comments. 

Tell us:

• Your name & location
• Your business name (and website)
• What you're hoping to learn and gain from Book Club
• Your favorite book (business or fun)
• A picture or two of you or your business

And of course feel free to reply to each others’ intros, especially those nearby or in the same industry as you.

Looking forward to meeting you all, and reading with you,

Pesso

[norskpdx]

Thank you.

[KaosXtecH]

I love the integration of old art forms like scrapbooking with newer technology. It is so important to integrate these lifes today more then ever I think. Thank you for sharing.

[HCLMMT]

 

 

 

Hey all! 👋🏼 

Name: Hailey Corton

Business: Wexford Medical Massage 

Location: Wexford, PA (North of Pittsburgh, PA)

What we offer: Certified Medical Massage Treatments (a specific, tailored approach to bodywork) along with Health and Nutritional Coaching, Yoga Therapy and traditional Massage Therapy.

Business Stage: Open for 7 months and increasing clientele slowly and steadily.

Business Mission/Goals: To bridge the gap in healthcare for those suffering from chronic pain and disease.  Wellness is possible when Eastern and Western healthcare work in unison.

Book Club Goals: Join a community of business owners (of all kinds and backgrounds) and learn from each other; both from the books we read and the discussions we share about them.

Favorite Book (fun): Men in the Boat and A Wrinkle in Time

[Pesso]

Hey @HCLMMT 

Thanks so much for sharing and for joining the Book Club!

Congrats on the recent opening - I'm glad y'all are steadily growing and getting more and more clients. Hopefully things jump even more and your client list gets full in no time. 

We're all about those goals here, and hoping you can learn a lot from the books and from other sellers. 

Is there anything in particular you're hoping to learn or focus on?

I do love A Wrinkle in Time -- and the extra notice it got from Ted Lasso!

Thanks again and looking forward to seeing you in our discussions-

[HCLMMT]

I love Ted Lasso! 

If I were to begin to focus anywhere for my business it would be marketing (both old school and modern/social media/digital) and how to create referral programs with medical offices.  I’m also interested in joining more wellness events and help promote my business more!

[Pesso]

Good to know on the marketing front! I'll make sure to pitch some marketing books in future voting rounds!

[KaosXtecH]

Super big fan of medical massage. Not enough funding goes towards that medical model. There is a big push for pain reduction through medication which is very necessary but medical massage can do so much to assist or even replace that in my opinion. Keep up the good work!

[zomprintshop]

Hello, 

   I'm Stephanie with Zom Print Shop (zomprintshop.com).  My husband, Matthew, is the owner and we are a small, family-owned silk screening service business located in La Vergne, TN.  We are in our 3rd year of consistently flowing business and have been running for around 8 years.  Our goal this year is to double if not, triple our gross sales from 2022 and focus on how we can improve with marketing, taxes, and converting prospects to leads.

   What I'm hoping to get out of this book club is more knowledge on business in general and in areas that we may be blind to even knowing about as well as expanding our knowledge base on the basics of running a business.  May even meet another business that we could exchange services with or be of service to.  As for a favorite book, I do not have one, and the last time that I sat down to truly enjoy a book was as a young lady.  I have recently read How To Raise A Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo though.  

Nice to meet you,

Pesso

[Pesso]

Hey @zomprintshop 

Thanks so much for joining and sharing!

Congrats on the success of the business so far. Doubling & tripling is a hugely exciting goal! But it can definitely be tricky to get that much a jump. Marketing and conversion are definitely a great way to get there!

I love the quest for more knowledge -- both in general and for the basics. I completely understand that, as the saying goes, "You don't know what you don't know" so we'll get it together when we do! 

Thanks for that book rec, I'll have to check it out!

Thanks so much again and looking forward to seeing you in our discussions-

[Krome]

Hello! I am Melissa Peters and I own and operate Krome Salon & Spa (kromesalon.com) in LaFollette, TN. My salon is currently a hybrid structure (some commission stylists and some renters) but gradually working toward full commission. While the salon is certainly profitable, I always feel like there is room for growth.

I do love to read, but I struggle staying tuned in to business related books. I am hoping that this community will not only help me discern what is good business advice, but also keep me focused and accountable to complete the book and possibly implement the information.

 I can’t wait to get started!

 

 

[Pesso]

Hey @Krome !

Thanks so much for sharing! 

I'm not too familiar with the Salon world -- what's the advantage of moving towards more commission and less renters?

I love your growth mindset! What does that look like for you?

I can definitely understand how hard it is to stick to and get through business books -- a lot of them can be a trudge, and I'm always more likely to pick up a novel than an informative book. We'll definitely give you (and me) the accountability here, and I'm also so excited to learn directly from the books as well as hear everyone's thoughts and insights from them too!

It's so great to have you here, and can't wait to see you in our discussions!

[Krome]

Hi Pesso! The two biggest advantages are consistency and profitability. Booth renters are essentially their own entity and I have very little to no control over many aspects that I feel are crucial in providing a consistent brand— attire, pricing, booking consistency, etc. The two renters I have now, I have worked with for many years and I trust to respect my “expectations” but they could show up to work in their pajamas and I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Commission staff are employees and, while I’m quite lenient, I am better able to center everything that’s done around my brand, values, and standards. And, I have the ability to send them home to change if necessary. Having a booth rental salon is also very limiting in the potential for profit.

[Pesso]

Thanks for that added context! Oh wow, yea I can definitely see the advantages there -- having control of your space and brand are essential, so I'm glad you're moving in that direction. Rooting for ya!

[CarissaD]

👋🏼 my name is Carissa. I am the cofounder of The Living Well Collective Co. Under this corporation, we run 3 counseling dbas, each with a specific focus.

I mainly work with Every Girl Living (one of our dbas and my baby), which is concierge mental health and wellness practice geared to empower women struggling with depression, anxiety and other life issues heal, grow and conquer life’s challenges. To learn more, https://www.everygirl-living.com. We are located in Jacksonville Florida but serve all of Florida through telehealth.

We reincorporated as a for profit in April 2021 and have been all in ever since. Both my husband and I work full time in our businesses with 4 part time staff and an intern. 

Our goal is to grow our businesses to the point of have other counseling offices nationally. We want to create a company that clients talk about and employees are eager to grow with. In June, we are moving to a larger office. 

 

For Every Girl Living, in each office, I’d like to have 3 psychotherapists, 2 yoga teachers & personal trainers, 1 psychiatrist, 1 general physician, 1 registered dietician and 1 client liaison plus admin staff. My dream is Every Girl Living be a one stop shop for women’s health and wellness. 

From this book club, I’m hoping to learn and network. I want to hear from other business owners as well as read some great business books that will help me be a better business owner. 

I don’t have one favorite book. I tend to have favorites genres. For fun, I love reading chic lit mysteries. They are usually funny and light hearted. I can laugh and take a moment to not take life too seriously. As a trauma therapist, I hear a lot of sad real life stories, so these books help me not feel so heavy.

The photo I’ve shared is of our EGL team. I’m on the far right.

[Pesso]

Hey @CarissaD !

Thank you so much for joining and sharing!

That's really impressive that you're essentially running three different counseling businesses with different focuses. How do you manage to balance them all?

I absolutely love what you're doing with EGL. It's such an important mission and so wonderful that you're able to do it both in person and remotely to women across FL. That spread of a wholistic practice with so many varied practitioners is so incredibly valuable and can really make a big impact. 

And even more amazing that you're in a growth phase and looking to expand nationally. Congrats on the upcoming new office move! What are some challenges with a national expansion? I'm guessing licensing would be a big one.

How has the shift to For Profit been so far?

We're definitely here to support that Book Club goal! Any particular areas of being a business owner that you're looking to work on and improve in? 

Heck yea, gotta love the chick lit realm! I'm glad that books have helped you decompress and escape after really rough days. Gotta find the joy and fun where ever possible.

Thanks so much for sharing! It's so great to meet you and can't wait to have you in our book discussions!

[CarissaD]

Thanks, Pesso for the response. And balance is a big focus for me this year. How we ended up with essentially three businesses is because EGL is mine, the marriage counseling (called the Marriage Foundry) is my husband’s and the pornography addiction program called Salvo, is ran by my husband, myself and our son. So, we all get to do what we love and are good at. I didn’t mention, my husband and son are both therapists too. 

[missrucker75]

My name is Monique Rucker and I am the owner of Anointed Hands Concierge Phlebotomy Services. My website is www.anointedhands=phlebotomy.com. I am located in Commerce, Georgia; however, I provide mobile services in my area and the Atlanta area. I collect laboratory specimen for different physicians, process and ship them. I have been operating this business for six years and I also own a post-secondary school, Advanced Medical Academy that instructs students on the proper collectin and processing of laboratory specimen. 

My goal is to train more competent Phlebotomists to enter the healthcare field. I was once in a book club and I just hope to learn things about the books read and the others in the club. I would like to be able to build relationships with others that are interested in reading as I am.

[Pesso]

Hey @missrucker75 !

Thanks so much for joining and sharing. That's so cool that you've built a business around this, both in collecting and in instructing others! I love that you're in a growth phase for the school and looking to teach even more. What are your goals for the phlebotomy business?

My goal for the book club is definitely that -- to help other learn some solid business strategies, and to form our own little community of engaged business owners to connect with!

So excited to have you here and looking forward to having you in our book discussions!

[Mlbowers]

Hey everyone!  This is Mary Lisa.  My shop is FADNeedlwork.  We opened in October 2020.  We are a small Hand Embroidery shop specializing in Cross Stitching.  Located in Olive Branch, MS (just over the stateline from Memphis) I love to read books and the last business book I read was on Lincoln.  

[Pesso]

Welcome and thanks for joining @Mlbowers !

That sounds like a fantastic business, and a great read!

I'd love to hear what your goals with your business are and what you're looking to get out of this book club.

Looking forward to seeing you in our discussions-

[ryanwanner]

Hello everyone! Ryan with R&R Coffee Cafe here in Black Forest Colorado!

I opened R&R in 2008, and we focus on coffee roasting, from scratch baking, and breakfast and lunch. In 2013 we moved into our current location. We had a second store for a while, but covid killed it off. Covid hasn't been kind to us--we're just now getting to 50% of our pre-covid sales--but we've been able to muddle through.

The biz is needing to go through a transformation of sorts: when we opened the Forest was its own isolated community, and we were able to tap into it and get a ton of regulars. Now, many of those regulars have passed on or moved away, and, ironically enough, even though Colorado Springs keeps growing closer to the community, we're seeing less traffic during the weekdays as the newer families to the area have to commute. Plans include re-launching the drive up we had during the pandemic and roasting coffee on site at a few farmers markets this summer. Hopefully these two major changes will boost revenue without costing me much to implement.

I agree with the comment here that my favorite book is whatever is in my hands at the time; currently I'm chewing through Chef Irvine's Overcoming Impossible.

I think the thing I'm looking forward to out of this club is everyone's viewpoints over our chosen books. We all have our own way of looking at the world, and it's absolutely fascinating to me how each of us interprets the same thing differently. Seeing everyone's thoughts will help me get a more rounded idea of things, and hopefully give me more insight to better my business.