Tag: Business Growth

Sonie Skogerson’s Journey on Building a Business with Heart & Hustle (Ep. 100)

Sonie Skogerson’s Journey on Building a Business with Heart & Hustle (Ep. 100)

In this inspiring and relatable episode, Evan Wohl chats with Sonie Skogerson, a Budget Blinds franchise owner who turned a leap of faith into a thriving business. Sonie shares how she launched her window treatment company with minimal training, the value of early marketing hustle, and how her love for fabric and design fueled her first projects.

She dives deep into the support system provided by the franchise, including a strong coaching culture that evolves as your business grows. From tackling early challenges like cash flow and closing rates to navigating tariffs and scaling with the help of community and peer groups, Sonie highlights the power of mentorship, consistency, and social media—especially Instagram—as key drivers of success.

This conversation is packed with valuable takeaways for any entrepreneur, especially those navigating franchise ownership, marketing on a budget, and building a referral-based business.

Key takeaways:

  • The unique impact of a support system within a franchise network [00:08:13]
  • The transition from corporate fashion to entrepreneurship and the role of social media in marketing [00:01:49]
  • Tried and tested strategies for generating referrals [00:21:45]
  • An inside look into the essential support networks and business coaching that fuel her growth [00:13:55]

Connect with Evan Wohl:

Connect with Sonie Skogerson:

About Our Guest:

Sonie is a veteran of the fashion industry, having spent over 10 years crisscrossing North America and the globe for some of the biggest names in luxury sportswear.  She brings her energy, keen eye for quality, design, and detail, and an approachable design style to every personal consultation with Budget Blinds.  Sonie is an expert at understanding your needs and helping you express your own individual style without going over your budget.  She is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design and has studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the London College of Fashion.  Sonie owns three Budget Blinds Franchises in Northern New Jersey & has been covering windows for over 12 years. She is a mother of three and an avid downhill skier.

Expanding Your Influence Through Usable Social Media Content with Mike Manzi

Expanding Your Influence Through Usable Social Media Content with Mike Manzi

Social media has become a tool for people of all ages and walks of life — from young children to businesses.

When it comes to business, effective social media practices can provide increased outreach to potential clients. 

This week, Iván Watanabe is joined by Mike Manzi, sales coach and founder of MM Sales Consulting. Mike unveils the role of social media as a tool for businesses and outlines the differences between social media platforms, ways to multitask content across multiple platforms, and tips to increase sales actively and passively.

Mike discusses:

  • What drew him to sales management
  • Ways he provides tools, leadership, and coaching for clients to increase sales
  • Why he chose TikTok as a business platform
  • The importance of usable content
  • And more!

Connect with Mike Manzi:

Connect with Iván Watanabe:

About Our Guest:

Mike Manzi is the founder of MM Sales Consulting. Mike is a sales coach who started as a content creator on Tik Tok. From realizing the potential of the platform to increasing followers and coaching businesses and individuals to increase their sales, Mike is all about helping continue business momentum and allowing clients to stop losing deals, keep reps from being B-players, and replace management with leadership.