Big Ideas Welcome Podcast Knoxville Entrepreneur Center

“I think the real “American Dream” is being a small business owner and being able to tap into your full potential.” - Oslo Cole
On this week's episode, guest host Jalynn Baker is joined by entrepreneur, management expert, 100Knoxville mentor, and now member of the Sixthman team, Oslo Cole. You’ll learn about Oslo’s love for music and community work, his favorite live music memories, mentoring through the 100Knoxville business accelerator, and how he adapts his skill sets to different industries. 


Learn more about Oslo: Website | LinkedIn
100Knoxville is a business accelerator program from the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center with a  goal of growing Black-owned businesses in Knoxville by $10,000,000 over 5 years through investment of time and talent, and access to social, political, and financial capital.


Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms and at bigideaswelcome.com.


This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC chief of strategy  Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.

“I just want to be an example of being tied to community and really valuing people.” - Deidra Harper
On this week's episode, guest host Jalynn Baker is joined by Deidra Harper of Elite Facility Maintenance and The Women LLC. You’ll hear from Diedre about growing up in an entrepreneurial family and discovering her place in the family legacy. We also dig into what she has learned about learning to ask for help and how to implement good advice, along with her passion for community engagement.


Learn more about Deidra 
Learn more about 100Knoxville 

100Knoxville is a business accelerator program from the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center with a  goal of growing Black-owned businesses in Knoxville by $10,000,000 over 5 years through investment of time and talent, and access to social, political, and financial capital.


Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms and at bigideaswelcome.com.


This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC chief of strategy  Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.

“I think one way to fix the challenges in the Black community is to have more business owners. . . . Businesses end up stabilizing communities.” Damon Rawls
On this week's episode, guest host Jalynn Baker is joined by Damon Rawls, founder of Knoxville’s Black Business Directory (among many other things!). You'll hear about the creation of the Black Business Directory, collaborating with community members, mentoring 100Knoxville cohorts, and Damon’s strong views on consciously investing in the Black community so that we all prosper. 


Learn more about Damon and the Knoxville Black Business Directory: LinkedIn | Website
Learn more about 100Knoxville 


100Knoxville is a business accelerator program from the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center with a  goal of growing Black-owned businesses in Knoxville by $10,000,000 over 5 years through investment of time and talent, and access to social, political, and financial capital.


Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms and at bigideaswelcome.com.


This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC chief of strategy  Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.

“Having different options better enables us to serve a lot more people.” - Ryan McGrew
On this week's episode, guest host Jalynn Baker is joined by Ryan McGrew, founder of Rightway Insurance. You'll hear about Ryan’s pivot into entrepreneurship, the impact of KEC’s #100Knoxville business accelerator, his approach to parenthood and mentorship, and what it means to invest in the community you serve. 


Learn more about Ryan and Rightway 
Learn more about 100Knoxville

100Knoxville is a business accelerator program from the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center with a  goal of growing Black-owned businesses in Knoxville by $10,000,000 over 5 years through investment of time and talent, and access to social, political, and financial capital.


Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms and at bigideaswelcome.com.


This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC chief of strategy  Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.

“If I can help someone else succeed in this craft or another craft, it helps the craft as an entirety” - Wes Breitenbach
“I don't know anybody who's like: I hope they fail. Nobody's like that, and if they are, they're not running in any of our circles.” - Jesica Breitenbach


Wes & Jes  Breitenbach join host Chris McAdoo on the last episode of 2023! They’ve got strong, well-earned “big ideas” about everything from going to college (as in…”don’t!”) to what it takes to master a craft, and what it really means to build a life on your own terms. They have been incredible members of the Maker City community, sharing their passions with the world, but also inviting the community to come along for the adventures - to learn and grow alongside them as they continue to grow Crown Upholstery. 


About Wes & Jes: 


Even Moving Cross Country Twice, One Thing Has Remained Constant. Upholstering Great Furniture. Wes's career in upholstering began in 1999, a few years after he arrived in Phoenix, AZ from Havre de Grace, MD/ It was in Phoenix that Wes learned the generations-old tradecraft of reupholstering furniture from Jesica's grandfather, Frank Ramey Sr (who originally taught both Jesica and her father, Frank Ramey Jr). Frank Sr, in turn, had learned the art of upholstery from his mother (who took it up from her own mother during the Great Depression in order to help make ends meet).


After years in the Sonoran Desert of Phoenix, Jes and Wes decided to make the move to Knoxville, TN over a decade ago. For that decade, Jes and Wes have made it their pursuit to embrace and love the natural beauty of the region while practicing their well-honed skills for its diverse citizenry. While they still rely on the age-old skills of sewing and cutting as a business, the trade has become a passion as well as a career.


Learn more about Crown Upholstery and follow the adventures of Wes & Jes:
https://crownupholsterytn.com/
https://www.instagram.com/crownupholstery/

Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms and at bigideaswelcome.com.

This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC chief of strategy  Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.

“Once I read up on it and did my own research, I was like ‘Woah. I need to change some of my shopping patterns’.”- Khasia Abdu
On this week's episode, guest host Jalynn Baker is joined by Khasia Abdu, founder of Donde. You'll hear about Khasia's transition from overconsumption to sustainability, honoring her heritage, tips for shopping sustainably, and building community around her brand. 

Learn more about Khasia and Donde 

Learn more about 100Knoxville

100Knoxville is a business accelerator program from the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center with a  goal of growing Black-owned businesses in Knoxville by $10,000,000 over 5 years through investment of time and talent, and access to social, political, and financial capital.

Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms and at bigideaswelcome.com.

This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC chief of strategy  Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.