Freshmen Founders

Welcome to the inaugural episode of "The Blend with Kenz + Chan"! In this exciting premiere, Kenz and Chan reintroduce themselves and their revamped podcast. Join them as they share what to expect from this new version of the show, including candid insights, valuable lessons, and honest conversations about entrepreneurship and life. Kenz and Chan dive deep into what they've been up to since the last episode, detailing their adventures and growth over the past two years. From navigating the challenges of fundraising to experiencing the highs and lows of business expansion, they have plenty of stories to share. So grab your favorite beverage and tune in as Kenz and Chan kick off this new version of the pod, blending business as friends. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Continuing the conversation of fundraising, Channing and Makenzie give updates on their current round. They emphasize how important it is to find the right investors, and how you should be vetting them as much as they vet you. They also discuss determining how much you should raise and how to prioritize how the capital should be allocated.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

In this episode Channing and Makenzie talk about their experience raising money (for the second time.) They discuss how they used SXSW as a launching pad to open their round and how they got interest from investors before having a deck. Raising money is a full time job and the EVA co-founders are happy to have each other to split some of the work.  Finally, they talk about the cons of raising too much or valuing your business too high.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Many of us have gotten accustomed to working from home in the past two years. Some of us love it and never want to go back to the office, while some of us are ready to get out of the house. Channing and Makenzie talk about how their team is doing a hybrid model and how important it is to connect with your employees and co-workers even when you're not in the same room. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Channing & Makenzie have always had relationships with their customers. Much of their business has come through referrals and word of mouth. Finally they are spending money on digital marketing to grow their business outside of their network. In this episode they share tools, tips, and stories in their experience with a marketing budget.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Channing, Makenzie, and their sales team have always tried  to make their customers lives easier.  After years of saying yes, their clients are starting to ask for things outside of EVA's business model. In this episode Channing and Makenzie discuss managing expectations and setting boundaries with current clients. They determine if it is ever acceptable to turn business away. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Channing and Makenzie have given you all of the tools you need to validate your business idea. Your idea may be ready to turn into a business but are you the right one to start that business? If not, Channing and Makenzie discuss how you can identify the right team members to add. It's already challenging to build a business and doing it alone only makes it harder.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Channing and Makenzie revisit the concept of validating your idea before starting a business.  Getting feedback from potential customers,  determining your market size, and estimating potential costs and expenses are all important before launching. They share tools for first time founders and give insight on how a business is constantly changing.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Channing and Makenzie recently took the rest of the EVA team on a company retreat. They talk about what they worked on during that time and how important it is to get face time with their team. The team looks a lot different than it did at their first retreat so they reminisce on how they've grown and what their goals are now. Company culture is something they touch on and how they make it a priority even as a small team.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Channing and Makenzie return for season 4! They discuss Makenzie's move to Austin and how it impacts their business, the growth of their team, and how they are managing in 2021. The founders also discuss the importance of timing, and that even the best ideas can sometimes be too early.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

We are THRILLED that 2020 is coming to an end. While it was extremely difficult at times we do believe we came out of this better both personally and professionally. The theme of EVA's 2020 was accelerated iteration. We had to change our model fast when the pandemic hit and it was not something we could have done without our team. In this episode we discuss how our company culture has improved, hiring/firing, and What 2021 holds for us.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Now it's Makenzie's turn to be in the hot seat. Channing gets Makenzie to open up about who she is and what makes her tick. She discusses her strengths and weaknesses, her influences and interests, and how many bones she's broken. We love feedback! founders@freshmenfounders.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

In this episode Makenzie takes on the challenge of getting Channing to talk about herself. We thought it would be interesting to interview one another and see what questions we didn't already know the answers to. We learn a little more about Channing's way of thinking in personal and professional life. You can ask us questions, provide feedback, or just say hey at founders@freshmenfounders.com  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Warner Carpenter, our software developer, joins us on the podcast. We talk about how he pitched himself for a full time position when we weren't even hiring (and got it), and what it's like working for a startup. He discusses the similarities between music and code and how he transitioned into programming. You can reach us at founders@freshmenfounders.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Running a company is hard enough without a pandemic, but when one hits things get tougher for every business. We've talked about our pivot and some challenges we've faced in the company but on this episode we get more personal. We talk about how we stay motivated, how we get out of a funk, and how important communication is within a team. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

We discuss some of our most embarrassing moments as first time founders. We record in a new studio with a few new fun tools that add to the awkward moments. In this episode we are very candid and open up how we've grown.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

We check back in with Gordon and how his business is doing during the pandemic. Last time we talked we discussed him potentially partnering with another company, so he gives us an update on what happened there. We also discuss how the live music industry may look in the future.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

You know those days when everything feels like it's falling into place? We were grateful to have one, especially in these continued wild times, so we went more off script than ever. This episode is all about what our pandemic pivot has been like for our company and we also reflect on previous pivots made. It's been unnerving to build a business during this time, but there have been lessons learned and experiences made that we wanted to share with you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

The better the brand, the better the business...right? While a beautiful brand isn't the only thing that makes a business, it is a very important piece. A well thought out brand gives your customers confidence that you can do what you say you can, and our brand...was not cutting it. In this episode we discuss what exercises helped us prepare for the rebrand, the creative journey itself, and tips and tricks we learned from a top notch branding agency. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message

Our roles have changed a lot while building our company. Sometimes it was forced due to our business’s evolution, and at other times it was decided as we found a better path forward. We wanted to be open and honest about all of it. On this episode, we talk about becoming Co-CEOs together this year, and why we insist that our team members act as leaders alongside us as well. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-blend-with-kenz--chan0/message