Welcome to Your Safe Place to Learn & Grow a Side Business

Authors

Lori Vajda & Nola Boea, co-hosts of the Sticky Brand Lab and Podcast

Should I or shouldn't I? That is often the question that follows someone’s big idea for starting a business. It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed just thinking about all the work that goes into bringing your dream of a side business into reality.

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Doubting thoughts; those nasty culprits not only run wild in your head, they’re known for the killing of many entrepreneurial dreams! The doubting thoughts start innocently enough. First, they make you question your business capabilities. Then they create fears about whether your work and talent are good enough to sell. Many of them create feelings of self-consciousness. Especially, if you’re older or if you’ve only worked for a business but never started one. Before you know it, doubting thoughts have killed your dream of entrepreneurship – may it rest in peace. ☹
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Don’t just tell them – show them how
​As the creators of the Sticky Brand Lab podcast, we (Lori and Nola) seek to change all that. We invite you to learn how to extinguish doubting thoughts. We believe you can create a side venture, part-time gig or small business according to your own style and definition! Yes, we will provide the information and resources you need…just a little differently. We seek to equip you and we want to make the journey fun as well as easier. 

When information is given in the way you learn best, you can enjoy the entrepreneurial process and feeling confident about putting your ideas out into the world. 

We will be walking-the-walk with you by starting our own side hustles from scratch, along the way. The goal of the Sticky Brand Lab podcast (and blog) is to share real, helpful information delivered in bite-size chunks, perfect for busy adults. 

In many cases, the information we share we will have already tested before we recommend something. Have a program, e-course or book you’re curious about? Tell us and we’ll tell you if it’s worth your time and energy. 

Whether you are an emerging entrepreneur, in the mists of a career-change, have no idea what you want your business to be or you’re a professional with the desire to branch out in new directions, we’re here for YOU! 

We believe in: 

• Starting small 
• Going in an order that makes sense 
• Being true to yourself
• Making mistakes and course correcting 
• Doing what matters 
• Having fun 

The Sticky Brand Lab podcast is a judgment free zone – no absolutes or pressure. We are here to encourage and accompany you on your journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur. We believe in creating a business defined by you and with your goals and standards front and center. We believe there is no ‘one right way’ to create or run a side hustle business.

A safe place to be true to YOU
So come as you are. All we ask is that you make time for your own entrepreneurial pursuits and self-care. We’ll do our best to address “how do you…(fill in the blank)” questions in a way that breaks things down into small actionable steps, helping you prioritize what matters. As your co-hosts, we’ll bring along some ‘real world’ experts and together we’ll show you which shortcuts to take. Including the business steps which tend to take longer and are more intensive. Then we’ll provide you with the best hacks to use to conquer those steps quicker, and tell you which ones can be postponed until a later time.

When you are armed with the right information, you’ll have an easier time successfully reaching your business goals, not to mention a whole lot more fun being your own boss.

Muse /myo͞oz/ 
​As a verb, to muse is to consider something thoughtfully. As a noun, it means a person who is a source of inspiration

Lori: I have a need. No, not the need for speed, although I do drive with purpose and a desire to get to my destination as quickly as possible. My need is the need to improve things. It’s built in my DNA. It also often gets me in trouble with people who show or tell me about their projects, business, or business ideas. These conversations often go something like this:

Them: “I’d love your thoughts on my website?”

Me after looking at the website and with excitement in my voice: “Do you want me to tell you my suggestions or write them up for you?”

Them: “Ummm. Is it a long list?”

Me enthusiastically: “Not too long.”

Them with clear disappointment in their voice: “Yeah, you can email me your suggestions.”  

What just happened!
In their mind they’ve created something they are happy with. In my mind, with a few ‘changes’ they could improve their brand, positioning, sales, marketing or any combination thereof.

A colleague once described this trait as a ‘need to build a better mousetrap’ and he was right. Improving things IS my creative outlet. The canvas: a project, a friend with a problem or new idea, it doesn’t matter what it is, just as long as I can show you how to make it better.

This need to build a better mousetrap fits perfectly with my other superpower, web thinking. For those not familiar with the term, web thinking is the ability to see many possible solutions at the same time. It’s the opposite of linear thinking. In my mind's eye, seeing the many opportunities,

I then assess which of the possible paths available is the best and will lead to the quickest path to success. This skillset, or as I like to think of it as a superpower, is one of the tools I use in my creative toolbox.

These two abilities are what I use when working with clients who have a desire and determination to stand out from their competition. When combined with Nola, my co-host’s, superpowers of strategic thinking and vision mapping. It's a winning combination for anyone looking to start a side gig, scale their side hustle or for any professional who’s ready to expand their personal brand. 

Meet my Sticky Brand Lab co-host, Nola Boea
Nola: When people tell me their entrepreneurial hankerings, my pulse races a little faster with excitement. I lean in, curious to hear more, like a two-year-old about to read her favorite book at story time. 

I love to bounce around business ideas. I’ve started up at least a 1,000 in my head, and over the years a few have become my own side hustles — usually helping other people launch theirs. 

Most people will describe to me, not just one idea, but a cluster of related ideas that flits around their head like a cloud of butterflies, immobilizing them from doing any one thing. They have no idea where to get started. 

My superpower, what I call vision mapping, is to help clients organize all those related concepts into a manageable vision. Building upon the ideal path uncovered with Lori, I help our clients plot out a linear action path with  bite-size steps. 

Two entrepre-nerds
Meeting Lori was like meeting a member of my long-lost tribe. She’s the only one I know who enjoys talking for hours on end about entrepreneurial everything.

Lori and I both see the multiple potential paths. She has a way of figuring out which of those paths resonate most closely with someone’s heart. I see that same vision but break it down into a how-to-get-there action plan that builds on their unique, individual strengths.

I can see their amazing potential so clearly that they begin to believe it for themselves. I give people the confidence to dream big and to make their dream a reality. 

An unconventional approach to entrepreneurship and that is how we like it
We think our superpowers and sharing them on the Sticky Brand Lab podcast is what makes us fun and our process interesting to listen to. In addition, we speak from a place of real-world experience. Between the two of us, we have started several side-hustles and businesses. Some were more successful than others – we’ll share those stories with you, too.  Some were started out of a need to channel our own creative outlets – those ideas have been a lot of fun. Some of our business pursuits have led to new career opportunities, while others filled a missing need in the marketplace. 

We’re your typical entrepreneur. What we share is authentic. We invite you to listen to the Sticky Brand Lab podcast. Whether you choose to listen for the entertainment factor (we think we’re pretty funny), for inspiration, to accomplish your goal of creating and marketing a business or to feel like you CAN make your dream of entrepreneurship a reality: Come. Listen. You won’t be disappointed.

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About Sticky Brand Lab

The purpose of Sticky Brand Lab is to empower and accelerate learning so struggling and emerging entrepreneurs can achieve their goals faster and easier than they thought possible. Our advice is real, actionable, and practical to help you launch and grow your business.

About Author Lori Vajda

Lori Vajda, MSW, is the Founder and CEO of GB Brand Partners, an entrepreneur, co-host of Sticky Brand Lab podcast, and business muse. For more than a decade, Lori has leveraged her experience to create go-to-market strategies and messaging for her small and midsize business clients to reach their vision of success. Using her ‘muse’ ability, Lori empowers and guides people on their journey to build the business, brand or product they were put on earth to build. 

About Author Nola Boea

Nola Boeá, MBA, has spent nearly 30 years taking companies and nonprofit organizations to new heights. Prior to founding destination retreat company, GLAD Travel, Nola has served in front-line, management and executive positions in marketing, business administration and general operations, primarily with cause-minded companies. The common threads throughout her career: solving business challenges, growing new ventures and optimizing untapped potential.