Watertown's Open: Small Business Support Group

This is a recording from the Watertown's Open live podcast series panel discussion recorded at Get Lively Health and Fitness Studio in Watertown in September 2025. The theme was Small Business Support Group and dived into the numerous ways small business owners in Watertown are collaborating and supporting each other. Take a listen to hear stories and tips for established business and ones just starting out.

The panel included (left to right, top to bottom in episode image):

Liz Padula, owner of Artemis Yoga

Ariel Nathanson, certified financial education instructor and founder of Finances for Feminists 

Liz Ganno, certified nutrition coach 

Erin Rathe, City of Watertown's senior planner for economic development

Jan Taylor, owner of Get Lively Health and Fitness 

Doug Orifice, owner of Arsenal Financial, and co-president of the Watertown Business Coalition

Released October 10th, 2025

(Click here to listen on streaming apps) (Full transcript below)

—————

Sign up for the Little Local Conversations email newsletter to know when new episodes are out and keep up on everything Little Local Conversations.

Thank you Arsenal Financial for sponsoring Little Local Conversations! Listen to my Watertown Trivia episode with Arsenal Financial’s Doug Orifice to have some fun learning about Watertown!

Thanks to podcast promotional partner the Watertown Business Coalition, a nonprofit organization focused on connecting local businesses and strengthening our community. Check them out at watertownbusinesscoalition.com.

Thanks to promotional partner Watertown News, a Watertown-focused online newspaper. Check them out at watertownmanews.com.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Transcript

Matt Hanna: 00:07

Hi there. Welcome to the Little Local Conversations Podcast. I'm your host, Matt Hanna. Every episode I sit down for a conversation with someone in Watertown to discover the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown. This episode is a recording from a special live podcast event in a new series I'm starting called Watertown's Open, where we'll be having panel discussions with various business people and business advocates to give people a platform to talk about all the challenges with owning a business and all the tips and tricks and just to bring the business community together. The theme for this Watertown's Open event was Small Business Support Group, and it was a conversation on how small businesses here in Watertown are helping each other out. The event was over at Get Lively Health and Fitness Studio here in Watertown, and this event was back in September. And the panel featured Ariel Nathanson, a certified financial education instructor and founder of Finances for Feminists, Liz Ganno, certified nutrition coach, Jan Taylor, the owner of Get Lively Health and Fitness. Thanks for hosting again, Jan. Liz Padula, the owner and founder of Artemis Yoga, Doug Orifice, who's the owner of Arsenal Financial, and also the co-president of the Watertown Business Coalition, and Erin Rathe, who is the City of Watertown's Economic Development Planner. So we got into a lot of stories at this event with a lot of good information and tips and tricks to answer some questions from people as well. So whether you're an established business looking to make some more connections through collaborations, or you're someone just starting out, or even thinking about just starting out, there's something for everybody to learn in this episode. So hope you'll enjoy it. And a quick note here there is 60 seconds at the beginning where the audio was a little weird, and I promise that it goes away in less than 60 seconds. So bear with me. But the rest of the episode is all good. So again, hope you enjoyed this conversation. 

Matt Hanna: 1:56 

Alright. So welcome everyone. Thank you for coming out to the event. Thank you for hosting Jan. So this is part of a new series that I'm doing called Watertown's Open. I usually do a podcast called Little Local Conversations. My tagline used to be discovering the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown. I've added discovering and connecting the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown because I've been starting to do some live podcast events recently. This is the first business-focused one where I'm trying to bring small businesses together and small business advocates together to help share their stories and bring the whole community up because as we'll hear today, this is not a zero-sum game, business. And many of these people here understand that. So we'll hear their stories. And hopefully people will learn some from this too and reach out and start collaborating in their own ways. So I'll just go down the line and everyone can just briefly introduce themselves and then I'll give it to Jan for a little intro too.

Ariel Nathanson: 02:52

So hi everyone, I'm Ariel Nathanson. I am actually at the studio a lot. So good to be back here with you guys today. I'm a certified financial education instructor and the founder of Finances for Feminists, where I work with individuals and couples to help them get clarity, confidence, calm, and control with their personal findings. So glad to be here with everyone.

Liz Ganno: 03:15

Hi, I'm Liz Ganno. I'm a certified nutrition coach, and I've worked with the clients on all, almost all aspects of health and wellness. So I work with them on nutrition. We look at their goals and see how they can change their eating habits and patterns to help reach those goals, making small sustainable changes that, you know, fit into their life and their lifestyle. And then on top of nutrition. And we also look at incorporating movement and their water intake, sleep, stress, recovery. And one of my favorite things is working on mindset. I help my clients challenge old beliefs that no longer serve them so that they can make lasting changes to live a more vibrant, confident, healthier life.

Jan Taylor: 04:00

Sign me up. So I'll be super brief. This is so fun being echoed. Amplified? Amplified is the word. So I'm Jan Taylor, often known as Jan Lively, owner of Get Lively Health and Fitness. I'll keep this brief. For 11 plus years, we have been helping Watertown get lively, and as we like to say, smile more. So we'll talk about the studio quite a bit and what we do here. So I'll just turn it over to my, I like to call her my partner in fitness crime. 

Liz Padula: 04:26

Thanks, Jan. And thanks everyone else for being here. This is a quite an honor. My name is Liz Padula. I'm the owner and founder of Artemis Yoga. We're in the east end of Watertown, and we've been open for about nine years, coming up pretty soon to our 10-year anniversary in December. So we'd love to see people come out for that. And Artemis Yoga, we're a community-centric yoga studio, and we offer all kinds of classes for anybody to try and figure out how to fit yoga into their life. We have classes seven days a week, and we really do have something for everyone. So there's a lot of different styles. So we often hear, I'm not flexible enough to come to yoga. Well, that's exactly what we're hoping you should come and say to us right here, right at Artemis. Really, you don't need to be flexible to do yoga. And we would love to show you ways that you can kind of bring yoga into your life and bring some more mindfulness and joy into your daily living. So, yeah, that's a little bit about Artemis.

Doug Orifice: 05:23

Morning, everybody. My name is Doug Orifice. I'm here in a couple capacities. But first, Matt, thank you for continuing to be creative and bring events like this all over town. We appreciate it. So, first, I have a financial planning and investment management business named Arsenal Financial over on Mount Auburn Street. So I'm a small business owner here in town. But I think my capacity today is I help to lead an organization called the Watertown Business Coalition. It's a small business association here in town helping small and large businesses, nonprofits. A tagline that was created by our pal Matt Hanna over here is Community is Our Business. So here today to help facilitate and connect and I don't know, maybe maybe lend something, but I think we have enough talent over here where you guys hardly even need me.

Jan Taylor: 06:05

We'll make you do some push-ups.

Erin Rathe: 06:07

I'm Erin Rathe. I'm the economic development planner for the city. I've been in the role for just over a year. It's a new position that was created, and I work with all of the businesses across Watertown, small, large, emerging, not yet here, everybody. And I work a lot with the WBC. But you may hear me say today, I used to be a small business owner myself. I had a boutique in Burlington about 10 years ago. So I have been where small business owners have been. I've been through the process of letting a business go. So I understand that too. And I am just passionate about working with small business owners, which is why I transitioned into economic development.

Matt Hanna: 06:45

Great. Thank you, everybody, for introducing yourself. So the theme of this event is how small businesses are supporting and collaborating with each other. And Jan has been a great example of this in our community. So, Jan, do you want to just give a short intro about how you started doing this and why?

Jan Taylor: 07:03

Sure, absolutely. And I do want to start by giving a plug to one of our sponsors, Whiting Pond Provisions. You all are holding, and if you're not holding one, please grab one. These amazing little charcuterie boxes. So one of our dear members at the studio, Garnet Sarro, she said to me a few years ago, I've got an idea. I want to do some work with charcuterie boxes or charcuterie boards. And I said, Okay, so let's do an event at the studio. And so this is indirectly answering your question, Matt. So she launched her business here. We had an event where we did this incredible workshop. Liz was actually there. 

Liz Ganno: 07:37

It was great. 

Jan Taylor: 07:38

And Garnet came and taught people how to make charcuterie cups. And from there, she does grazing tables. She does these little boxes, she does all types of things. She calls it a micro business, which I love because she's a teacher full-time. Lots of us wear lots of hats in business ownership. So I wanted to give a shout out to her because she generously sponsored the event. And please, if you have charcuterie needs, reach out to Garnet. So, but indirectly answering Matt's question, I will answer it directly. There's been two things about owning a business that has been the surprise and truly joy of my life. And when I started this endeavor, it was all because I thought I'm going to help people get healthy and I'm going to work out with people and it's going to be so much fun. True. But the two things that have become such a surprise and delight for me is that when you own a business, you have the opportunity to utilize your platform to bring others up with you and to share that platform so that you can encourage and support and launch and partner with other local businesses. And so Garnet may have been one of the first ones, one of the first people that was looking to launch a business. And I said, well, let's do something at the studio. And that has just been such a wonderful, wonderful experience. Liz has done stuff here. Liz has done stuff here. We've had many businesses come and do launch events or partnership events at the studio. And that has been a real delight. And I'm looking at Kristina because we're going to get you in with this amazing tea I'm drinking that she brought me today. The other surprise was that, again, that platform is an opportunity to do good. And so we do several events each year with the Watertown Food Pantry. And it's been so incredible to be able to have the studio community and our membership here give back in ways that makes it really easy. People say to me all the time, like, God, it's so simple to support a food drive or the gift drive or the Mother's Day event that you do, because we just do it right here. People are coming here anyway. And then we're able to support the community just through virtue of the studio being here.

Matt Hanna: 09:41

Thank you. Yeah, you've got that down. Awesome. Well, we're going to kind of go through each of the stories of the interactions that Jan has had with these folks up here and then give some space for Doug and Erin to give their perspective as well. So the first one I was going to dive right into is the one that Jan and Liz Padula have done recently. So do you want to talk a little bit about how your collaboration, your businesses that are often could be viewed as competitors, since you're both fitness-oriented, how that came about and what happened?

Liz Padula: 10:10

Yeah, sure. So thanks for teeing that up. And so I guess what it occurred to both me and Jan was that we actually have a lot of clients who come to both of our studios. We love each of these clients too. You know, so it was one of those, like, oh, we have all these mutual synergies. And in fact, we're not competitors. It's synergistic. So, you know, people, you always need to have weightlifting and cardio and more active levels of fitness, but you also maybe need to have that sense of mindfulness and some of the flexibility and some of the stretching that you get with yoga. So why don't we do something together? So I believe it was last fall we embarked on sort of a month-long of hosting classes at each of our respective studios. So I came and came in-house to Get Lively. Jan came and came in-house at Artemis Yoga. And the mutual students, of course, came and loved it, but it also exposed each of our populations to something else that was also a really strong community-based, women-run business. And we found both of the studio communities really resonated with that. I mean, we have a similar vibe where we really do know all of the clients by name. We know like, you know, what their pets' names are, what their kids are. You know, we really get to know our students and get to be a part of their lives. And so introducing something that, you know, each of our communities to one another was really just felt like a natural fit. And it's been really great because we definitely have had some students continue from each side. And it is one of those things people ask me, I'm looking for, you know, something that incorporates a bit more weightlifting. Where would you go? Well, I immediately say you should check out Jan's place. She's right down the street. So that's just been a really nice way that we've collaborated together and hopefully we'll continue to do so.

Matt Hanna: 11:53

Jan, do you want to add your thoughts?

Jan Taylor: 11:55

I mean, Liz said it beautifully. I just that roadshow that we did last year was such fun. And I think aside from us just enjoying popping into each other's spaces, the response of the community, the number of people that said to us, Oh my gosh, it's so amazing that you two are doing this. It's like you're in competition. And we said, no, we're not. We're in partnership. And so it was just a beautiful community example of that and one that I think we had quite a good time doing as well. So.

Matt Hanna: 12:22

Yeah. And do you want to talk about some of the outcomes of that? Were there any specific, I don't know, any numbers that you were surprised that went up in terms of engagement or, you know, just for someone who might be a little hesitant to reach out for something, like what were some of the positive things that you could point to?

Jan Taylor: 12:38

I mean, I will just say that I know that Liz and I are like-minded in the sense that at the end of the day, we want people to be well. And so if that means they're going to lean on Liz's studio more during a period of their life, or they're going to lean on my practice more during a period of their life, all I care about is that they have us to provide what they need at that point. So a rising tide lifts all boats. Right.

Liz Padula: 13:03

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that when you get asked, you know, if somebody's looking for something else that you can't provide to them, or maybe that they need to augment what they're already doing and being really honest and saying I recommend this other, with a strong conviction, female run business that I know many of my students have been really satisfied and really enjoy their experience with. You know, there's a level of authenticity when you can give a solid recommendation to and support another fellow business owner because I know how hard it is to open and run a business. And so if I can be supportive in some way, I'm gonna try to do that.

Matt Hanna: 13:38

And were there any hurdles in putting together the collaboration that you didn't foresee that you overcame or anything that was bumpy at all?

Liz Padula: 13:46

No, I I would say no, no, no hurdles other than other than, you know, when Jan came to Artemis, she had to decide, like, so we don't have all the level of equipment that she has here. So she had to decide how can she give an experience of Get Lively without bringing, you know, all of the arsenal of props and weights and things that she has at the studio, and vice versa. You know, she doesn't have all the bolsters and the blankets and things. So I would say a hurdle in terms of, you know, it's not the exact experience when you're taking it on the road. But, you know, the students got a great opportunity to try out the classes at each of our places at their home base, and then hopefully they'll take that next step and then visit the other studio.

Jan Taylor: 14:24

Yeah.

Matt Hanna: 14:26

Doug and Erin, I'll open it up to you too if you have extra questions to add on here.

Doug Orifice: 14:30

Sure. First of all, I think seeing these collaborations, I am so thrilled every time I see one of these. And Jan, you've had just a number of them. So I remember when you guys announced this and had this campaign for this, I was just so excited because I'm like, all right, this is what we're trying to accomplish. Erin and I talk a fair amount, and I think one of the topics that keeps coming up again and again, and actually this week, I don't know how many times, is places and spaces. So we have two businesses that don't have a space, correct? And two that do. Erin and I have been talking a lot this week about businesses that are looking for spaces, right? And we all know about the housing affordability crisis. My partner, Bob Airasian and I, one thing that we talk about a lot is this small business affordability crisis. So I'm gonna try and condense this into one question, but you both have spaces. Could you just talk a little bit about the importance of having a physical space and maybe comment a little bit on the businesses that are like yours that are looking for a space and maybe some of the things that you wish were in Watertown?

Jan Taylor: 15:32

So I will say, and Liz and I are we're gonna answer this differently because Liz's schedule throughout the day is really full. And what has become apparent in my business is that we are a daytime operation. So what I have been experiencing for many years now is our community, we're here until about two o'clock in the afternoon, and then our evening classes are light. It's just always been how this business has been. So when I think about that, one of the things that I certainly have been open to through the years and would love to just toss it out there into the ether now and have the perfect person come along and say, Jan, I have an evening business and I'm looking for space and looking for partnership. So at this stage in the game, for me, I am so open to that and I understand. I've been in a few spaces in Watertown. It's very expensive. It's very hard to do it all yourself. And so for me personally, I love that this conversation is taking place because I'm actually at the stage in my business where that would be a great thing for Get Lively. 

Liz Padula: 16:35

Yeah, and so I have a brick and mortar with really good street visibility on Mount Auburn Street. And we're on the bus line. There's a lot of foot traffic, but I do wish there were more foot traffic because there's quite a few vacancies in Coolidge Square. And they've been vacant for quite some time. That's sometimes frustrating because I hear from some of my other local business owners, we love seeing people walk in with the yoga mat after class. And so I know that my business helps generate a lot of foot traffic, and vice versa, a lot of the restaurants generate traffic to me. And so I would love to see more of that and see if there are ways that we could help small businesses fill these vacancies. And I'm not really sure, you know, what the mechanism is for that. And I've heard about this in lots of different places, but I think it is really hard for communities to see storefronts that are just vacant and shuttered. It doesn't help with the vibrancy. And so I do worry about that. And I worry about, you know, access to some of those spaces and what can the city do to make things either more affordable or to help the landlords invest in the properties to like kind of up level the spaces. Cause I think, you know, renting a space is one thing, but modernizing this space is a huge investment. And so the landlord may need to have some incentives in order to make those investments. And if not, then you're just going to end up with a big chain, which is fine, but that doesn't help kind of the small business vibe that I think Watertown is really known for.

Matt Hanna: 18:00

Go ahead, Erin.

Erin Rathe: 18:01

So I don't have a question at the moment, but I do have a comment that I wanted to make. So I have worked in a number of communities around the region, Lexington, Bedford, Billerica here in Watertown now as well. And Watertown really is a different kind of community. This kind of collaboration is not automatic or natural. And I just want to draw attention to that. 

Jan Taylor: 18:23

Go us. 

Erin Rathe: 18:24

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. That's, it's so exciting to me that literally everyone I have met across Watertown has had this same attitude of let's work together. That is unusual. And it's remarkable to me. And it's made, well, it's made my job a lot of fun. Number one, because you guys all, you know, every time I talk to somebody, it's, you know, oh, you have to meet so-and-so, or oh, you need to, you know, I know somebody else who can do. And it's what's incredibly valuable for me as I'm learning the community. But also it means that the spirit of collaboration is already baked in. So I really appreciate that. I also just wanted to comment on what you said, Jan, about just kind of putting it out there. That is something that I encourage. I don't, I'm not going to put on the spot, but there is someone here that I had a conversation with recently. And one of the pieces of advice that I had given was just start talking to people about what your idea is. Just put it out there because you never know when some random conversation is going to lead to, oh, you know what? I have a friend who owns that space. Or, you know, I oh, I have a friend who's working on this other kind of project and it kind of dovetails with that. So I absolutely, I, you know, it's a little bit woo-woo, you know, put it out there, just like, you know, the what is it, the gift, the secret, whatever that's called. Um, you know, just let it manifest in the universe for you. But really, going ahead and saying that out loud, especially in a community like this, you're gonna get at least leads, right. You're going to at least get people to talk to and people who want to help.

Matt Hanna: 20:08

All right. Before we move on to the next conversation with someone else, are there any questions out there that you guys have for Liz and Jan's collaboration? We'll do a larger Q and A at the end, but that might be nice to add in some questions in between, if there are any. 

Ariel Nathanson: 20:22

I can add a little something. 

Matt Hanna: 20:23

Oh, yeah, go ahead.

Ariel Nathanson: 20:24

I'm in the Venn diagram of overlapping yogis and workout folks. And so yeah, it's always fun to see you guys collaborate and have other people explore each of what you do because I'm like, yeah, obviously they're the best. But it feels good to just be able to, like Liz was saying, genuinely support and refer. It's like, you know, as someone who works with money and personal finance, it's like this is where I want my dollars to go is supporting local businesses where you can feel seen in a space. And so I just feel that very authentically. And, I appreciate both of you. So yeah.

Jan Taylor: 20:54

Likewise.

Matt Hanna: 20:55

You have a question? All right. 

Speaker: 20:56

So I do a nine-to-five job. I do a nine to five corporate job, and I want to quit that and start my own thing. And it is really overwhelming. One, there is physical real estate requirement. That is for me, the kind of place I'm looking for, is impossible to find. So I'm looking for like 30 feet clear ceilings and stuff like that and really large, like 20,000 square feet. So it's tough to find. The other thing that I'm, you know, I developed a business plan. I developed my Excel sheet, which was basically cost and revenue. And here's my profit. I happen to use Chat GPT and find financial analysis of what people have done. And I looked at it and it blew my mind how complicated analyses people have done. What do you do when you are starting as a new business? When you're I'm not a finance major. I don't know anything about finance, honestly. How do you do that? How do you like? I'm like, okay, should I Google, find me a financial advisor, and they're gonna ask me for money, which I clearly don't have because I'm a small business starting, you know. So how do you guys navigate around that? Like just the finance aspect of it.

Jan Taylor: 21:55

Well, good thing we have two pros right here. Yeah.

Ariel Nathanson: 22:01

I mean, one of so I'm a virtual business, and I feel like one of the big expenses that you're talking about is, you know, costs of the brick and mortar stores. So I would actually like to hear you two on terms of like weighing that analysis. Because as a virtual business, my overhead was quite low. And so it was definitely less of a leap on my end.

Liz Padula: 22:18

I mean, for me, I mean, the space build-out was quite extensive. So there's certainly investment there and making a business plan. I also met with many other yoga studio owners. And I had a good friend in Connecticut who owned a studio. And so I spent a week with her, went through all of her books and shadowed her. So I kind of met with other like-minded businesses in the space. And then also I work with a financial advisor through the Massachusetts Small Business Association out at UMass. And so I meet with the financial advisor once a month. So there are free resources out there through the SBA that might be beneficial to you too. SCORE also is another resource. I don't use SCORE, but they do have some great workshops. I've taken a workshop with them actually. So I mean, I think there's a lot of good resources for small business owners. I also was a case study in a business school class down at Emerson. So the class took a couple problems that I had, this is after I was up and running, and kind of came back to me with case studies, if you will, and recommendations. So sometimes you might get a business class who kind of analyzes your business and you never know what might come out of that. I also got interns from Northeastern to help. So, you know, there's so many resources in this area, particularly, but I would just say maybe to start, meet with some people who are in the space that you're looking to go into, like maybe in adjacent, you know, towns or areas and can ask for some advice. People love to see other people listen to them, but also to make them successful. You know, I mean, to share and share your expertise is, I think, you know, really valuable. And for me, I always am chatting with other small business people. I have students who have come to me looking to start businesses and I'll meet with them for coffee and say these are my ideas. So yeah, I would just say, like Erin said, manifest it, talk to people.

Jan Taylor: 24:17

I'll definitely second the SCORE. I have worked with a SCORE mentor multiple times in my time owning a business and have gotten incredible advice, particularly from a real estate standpoint, leasing spaces. And, you know, probably different from what you are looking to do, I scaled into a physical space that was outside my home. So for the first five years of my business, because I went from fundraiser to fitness instructor overnight, and it was, I had no business, I had no clients. I started this business like I'm gonna start a fitness studio. And so started it out of the home and then scaled into ultimately being in a space. So there's so many ways that you can approach this. I know each business model is unique, and whatever type of business you're looking is may not be something that you can start in the home, but there's a lot of things to think about, and I definitely recommend SCORE as well.

Doug Orifice: 25:14

I'll throw one quick thing in, which is something I guess I'll call like the third dimension, right. This is not meant to be science fiction. There's the black and white numbers, right? But I guess if I put my personal financial planning hat on, it's not always about the numbers, and this may or may not apply to your situation. But let's say you are a married couple that this is actually my story, right. Married couple, my wife is a nurse. I quit my corporate role and started my own business in 2010, and we were at sort of the growth phase of our life, right. So we knew at least we had one W-2 salary coming in, and then we had some flexibility for me to get my business up and running, right. And I think I've seen that time and time again. So, you know, that's kind of a dynamic thing that is off the Excel spreadsheet. Another thing that's within the third dimension is kind of this over here. There's a young guy in town that just started a tax practice, and it's a weird time if you're looking for an accountant, if you're looking for an estate planner, if you're looking for an insurance agency, because they're all closing. Because the average age of people doing this stuff is somewhere in between 55 and 65, right. So I told this young tax professional like there is an accelerant in this community that is off an Excel spreadsheet because exactly what you were pointing to exists, multiplied by the fact that a lot of tax practices are aging out. I was able to send this person like six clients like that over the course of you know three weeks. So there are some of these not black and white numbers that don't show up on an Excel spreadsheet, whether it's that sort of accelerant within your community and the collaboration opportunities that might accelerate your growth, or even the dynamics within your family that might allow you an extra year or two or five to get your business going.

Matt Hanna: 26:53

Yeah, so talk to some people afterwards. They'll, I'm sure they'll have some extra advice too. So let's move on to our next pairing here, though. I'm gonna bring up Jan and Ariel's relationship and kind of works from that how you kind of helped Ariel out as she was working along with her business. And so, do you want to talk about your relationship, how it began and what happened?

Ariel Nathanson: 27:14

Yeah. So I had to look this up because it was a long time ago. How we met. So I actually am a Wellesley alum and the Wellesley Network is a global community. And I clicked on an email that I think was like holiday fitness workout break. And you can imagine my surprise when I watched this like online recording and Jan's there, and she's like, I'm in Watertown, Massachusetts. I was like, hang on, this is literally five minutes from my house. So it was one of those rare and beautiful experiences where an online situation becomes like an actual human connection in person, which is my preferred mode of communication. And so I showed up, I said, Hey, I wanted to be involved in your fitness programming. And, you know, not only did I get just like personal fitness instruction stronger, but, like real strong sense of community. You know, you guys alluded to it earlier. Everybody knows your name, which sounds like you know, some sort of tagline for a TV show. It is a tagline. Um, Cheers. Yeah. But yeah, it makes a big difference like in this world and current climate to feel seen in your community. So got that amazing connection. And then when Jan found out that I was also a business owner. So my business launched in 2021. So, really alongside when we met and going into like year five of my business going strong. So it can happen even if it takes maybe five years or however long to build up over time. So once Jan found that out, she was really just supportive and encouraging in terms of sharing her platform with me. That, you know, manifests in a few different ways. So, like we have recorded a podcast together. This is not our first rodeo on the podcasting circuit. Also, I worked with her in terms of like business coaching. So, really, our relationship has evolved from like digital to in-person fitness community, business community, and more.

Matt Hanna: 28:51

Yeah, and Jan, do you want to?

Jan Taylor: 28:52

So, one of the things that I love about coaching is that whether it's fitness or business or nutrition, at the end of the day, it's all from my perspective, helping someone see their potential. And so just like when Ariel came to me and wanted to, she wasn't, she's a runner and she wanted to get stronger. And people are so hesitant at first, and the other trainers in the room are like, yes, they go to the little weights, right? And I said, No, no, no, no, you're gonna get here. And so seeing that progression with her was the same thing when I suggested that Ariel send a weekly email.

Ariel Nathanson: 29:25

Oh, yeah, that was a big deal.

Jan Taylor: 29:27

She said, No. And I said, Yes. And now she sends out some of the best content that comes into my email. So every time I get an email from her, there is a little pride point, I must say, because it's so good. It's so additive, and it's just such wonderful stuff and information that you're putting out to the community with your take, with your perspective, and very much within your brand, I guess we'll say. And it's a real wonderful thing to see. So it's again, just you never know who you're going to meet along the way or what type of interaction you're going to have or what opportunity you're going to have, as Liz is saying, to help someone else along. And so that's been really wonderful. And congratulations on how far you've come.

Ariel Nathanson: 30:13

Thank you. Finances for Feminist.com forward slash newsletter. Or backslash. Well, yeah, I'm not good at advertising that I do this. So thank you for the plug. It's a thing.

Matt Hanna: 30:29

So do you, Ariel, do you want to talk a little bit about were you hesitant at first to reach out for help when like coming over that hurdle? Or was that easy for you? You know, that first bit.

Ariel Nathanson: 30:39

Yeah, you mean for the business side of things. I had a lot of hangups. And it's funny hearing Jan talk about it because like, you know, when things are in the rearview mirror, you don't often look back and be like, wow, look how far I've come. But yeah, I really hated writing newsletters. I'm much more comfortable speaking. And because my work is one-on-one and because it's personal finance, it's personal, right? It's like, Doug, you get this. And so I felt self-conscious about putting content out in the internet of the black hole, right. And I had now I have like 750 subscribers, which is a lot for me. And I don't know these people and I don't know how they're gonna respond to it. And it is kind of intimidating to be like, okay, here's my take, and like we'll see what happens. But to Liz's point, I've really shifted my thinking around. And to Jan's point more specifically, I guess I should say that it's less about the outcome and more about the process. So I really try to just put content out there that's interesting to me and valuable to me. And I think that like shift is resonant in terms of my tone of like, this is I'm interested in the motherhood penalty and the fatherhood bonus. I'm interested in how money impacts friendships. I'm interested in all these things. And so, like, people who resonate with that will continue to read it. And some people unsubscribe. And I'm like, okay, fine. Like, that's cool. Go read an email that you want to read. That's fine too. But just the way in which it feels more authentic, I think Jan really like shoved me in that direction. And then I kind of just like walked on from there. So yeah.

Matt Hanna: 31:58

Yeah, and then Jan, how about this is different from the one with Liz, where you were kind of a partnership in terms of you had the same crowd. So why are you helping someone who isn't in like the same field as you?

Jan Taylor: 32:09

Well, because again, it goes back to that, why wouldn't I? Right. I think about the people that helped me early on and the businesses that I looked up to and my mentors and all of the people that encouraged me along the way. And I find it so satisfying to help others. And again, I think at the end of the day, it's all about helping people see the potential that you see in them. And it's like you said, when people come to you and ask about starting a business, it's amazing how quickly that happens, right? I was amazed how I think I'd been at this maybe three, four years. And then people were coming to me and saying, How'd you do this? And it's just so gratifying to be able to pay that back and help. So I mean, Ariel was just ripe for the plucking. 

Matt Hanna: 32:55

All right. Doug and Erin, you want to give your thoughts?

Erin Rathe: 32:57

I do have a question this time. I know that we have people who are here who are maybe not as far along in the journey as you all are. You are established, you know, almost 10 years. So I can't speak for anyone specifically, but let's imagine that even one person in the room is going, I can't do this. Right. They're so polished, they're so accomplished, they've done so much, they're well established. But let's be real. Sometimes you think I can't do this as well, right?

Erin Rathe: 33:28

So how do you deal with that? And I'm kind of teeing up Liz because we were talking about not aiming for perfection or before we got started. So maybe this will segway a little bit. But what do you do when you have those moments of this isn't working, I can't do this?

Liz Padula: 33:44

Well, I mean, for me personally, I just take that step back. And I mean, I always have a lot of ideas that don't get fully, you know, manifested or accomplished because there's just only so many hours in the day. So I try to just go back to the basics and just focus on the couple things that you can actually get done that day or can get done that month. And, you know, really sometimes the only one who knows what's not getting done is you and maybe the people on your team. But, you know, I think sometimes you don't have to do it all at that moment. So I would say kind of starting out slow. And Jan reminded me that before I even opened Artemis Yoga, I was teaching yoga in my basement and in my kids' school, you know. So finding ways to start small, finding ways to get those first customers, whether it's, you know, going to the farmer's market and that's your storefront every Wednesday, you know, and kind of figuring out ways that you can get sort of your first customers, you know, maybe it's your friends and family, giving them the, you know, your entry level product, whatever it is. So I think it's just kind of maybe scaling it back and realizing it's not gonna, you know, the Rome wasn't built in a day sort of expression and try to keep it small.

Jan Taylor: 34:53

It's so true. I hear all the time don't compare your now to my now. Because, okay, so let me just, my husband's right there. I mean, six hours ago, we were in here, my hair is on fire, I'm in ripped sweatpants, like flying around trying to get this place all situated. And the polish that you see, the end result, my gosh, is there a pile of fluff leading up to that point and so much doubt at every point along the way. My gosh, I've questioned myself so many times. But then there's moments where I'm standing up here teaching and I hear words coming out of my mouth, and I'm like, damn, girl, you've gotten pretty good at this. You know what you're doing. So it's both, right? Like, my gosh, I started a fitness business with no clients in my basement. I left a job as an assistant vice president at a great university, and here I am, right, with all of you great people. So you just never know. When I left my job at Simmons, I printed this thing out that I found that said, you don't always need to have a plan. Sometimes you just need to let go and see what happens. And it still sits on my desk. So that's my two cents.

Liz Ganno: 35:56

So I was just gonna add, I love first that you called me a very established business because I am like, especially compared to these other ladies, I am very much new to this. So I've been officially doing nutrition coaching for a little over a year. So I still don't know if I feel that established all the time. But I think to what you said before is a lot of putting it out there. Like when I first started, I was even just like nervous to talk to, you know, people at, like my sons play hockey, so people at the hockey rink to even tell some of the parents like what I was starting to do. And I've learned that like you really just need to put yourself out there. You need to have those conversations because you never know when it's gonna lead to something. So I think that is a big piece of it.

Ariel Nathanson: 36:40

Just to piggyback off that, and Matt, I don't know if you're gonna ask us this next, but I was just gonna say that in my work with Jan, one of the things that you helped me reframe is like networking as a concept, because I don't know about you guys, but I always thought of that as kind of a dirty word, like, you know, quid pro quo, like what are you gonna do for me? And Jan is such like a pillar of the community and just like connector. And you're the reason why I went to like my first Watertown Business Coalition event and met all the amazing people who make that work happen. And it's such like a big tent energy. But even back to the brick and mortar concept, I thought I like couldn't be a member because I didn't have a brick and mortar business. And I was like, oh, I'm not a real like Watertown Business Coalition. I don't know what these made up things in my head were. But yeah, Jan was like, just go, just show up. And sure enough, you know, Doug, Bob, you guys have all been so welcoming. And now I think of networking as just relationship building. And it's if clients find me that way, great. If they don't, I'm have a relationship with someone. And that in and of itself, again, is extremely meaningful to me. And so, in terms of like putting yourself out there, if you're new to this or if you're like, oh, that sounds really scary, or if you're an introvert like me, you know, it's just making relationships. And it really was a big mindset shift for me from like networking to being gross and disgusting to being like, I'm just gonna show up and talk to people and like now people know who I am and they're nice. Like, period. What a concept. Like, wow.

Doug Orifice: 38:01

This is a perfect dovetail into my comment because I went through the same exact battle. I worked for Bank of America from 2005 to 2010, and then I left, and then I started my own business, and then I realized I had this office with just me in it. There's no network, there's no community. I used to have 300,000 people across the country that had the same logo on the same business card, and now it was just me, right. So I went to a networking event for the first time, and I'm just like, this is yucky. I don't think I like this. Had a few conversations, so I'm like, maybe this isn't so bad. But, anyways, it dovetails into my comment about the resources in our community. So, first of all, I'm elated to hear that you've had that experience. Thank you. I tell Bob all the time I will have a conversation once in a while that will put 93 octane in my tank. And it literally keeps us doing this whatever, another six months longer or another year longer. So thank you. You put 93 octane in our tank today. From a resources point of view, there's so many things that as a business community, entrepreneur community, nonprofit community that we have now that we didn't have seven years ago in 2018. There was no chamber of commerce in this community, there was no business hub in this community, there was no economic development department. Never mind having an Economic Development Department or person, one who is as amazing and responsive as Erin is. So, you know, now whether you're starting a business or whether you've been doing this for a year or in it for 10 or 11 or whatever it is, you can go to Watertown Business Coalition.com and you can say, Who is a member, anyways? And click on member directory. And our members are people who have either kind of raised their hand and said, I either want to be part of this and come to events, or I may not have time to come to events, but we get where you're doing and we want to support it. It's pretty much 150 some odd people or organizations that will very likely pick up the phone and have a conversation with you. So that's amazing. I don't know. I feel like I have more and more anecdotes of, hey, Erin, I met this person, or I get an email from Erin that says, Hey, Doug and Bob, I met this person. And you know, what did I say to you really before we got on here? I said something like the long dotted line to get from the issue somebody has to at least a conversation about the solution has gotten so much shorter, which is great. So, anyways, there's a ton of resources in this community. So thank you all for being a part of the business community and thank you for supporting it, Erin.

Matt Hanna: 40:29

Great. Jan and Ariel, do you have anything else to comment on on your relationship before we move on? Or do you feel like you got all the good vibes out there?

Ariel Nathanson: 40:36

Definitely all the good vibes, but just a little shout out. If you are a brick and mortar business and you are able to put out other business cards, that's something Jan does. You'll notice as you walked in, just a tiny little shelf. She has people's business cards and she's not the only one that does it. I can't tell you how many clients I got from O’some Cafe. Shout out to Ricci and check out their sesame lattes. But yeah, that's like something so simple and small and so meaningful that if you can just put your business card there and that way if you're if you even if you don't want to talk to somebody, you can just be like boop, like put it down. And then if someone seeks you out, they're not being like aggressively advertised to you, but they're like perusing the bulletin board or what have you. And it really makes a difference. So another little shout out to that.

Matt Hanna: 41:19

Yeah. Does anyone have, we can take another question in between people here? Does anyone have a question for the Ariel Jan conversation? Yeah.

Speaker: 41:26

Thank you. And thank you for having this event. I'm Lisa Feltner. I'm one of the city councilors, and I've currently been serving as chair on economic development planning. And I just encourage you all and potential business owners to feel free to reach out to City Council and particular things, ideas, or questions that you might want to share with us that would make your life easier or concerns you have between I'm excited that we do have a dedicated planner now for economic development. Please reach out to us, but know that we do support your efforts and we want to see you thrive.

Matt Hanna: 41:59

Thank you. All right, before we move on to our last segment, how are people feeling? Does anyone need to stand up, take a five-minute uh Jan break?

Doug Orifice: 42:08

Jan, would you like to make, yeah. What do you want everybody to do? Burpees, push-ups.

Jan Taylor: 42:16

Maybe just stand. Come on, circle those arms, up and back, do windmills so you don't knock your buddies somewhere next to you like I just did. Or your best tea. Maybe press it forward, maybe, go grab a little snack, right? Alright, guys a little bit of energy here. Alright clap with me, clap with me, clap with me. There we go, there we go. All right, okay, Matt back to you. My husband, my husband is over there rolling his eyes. Like, oh god.

Matt Hanna: 43:01

Is that what it's like in your house when you wake up in the morning, you just pop out of bed like, let's do this. 

Jan Taylor: 43:06

I'll let him answer that. 

Matt Hanna: 43:07

Yeah. All right, well, good. We needed that little 30-second shake off there. Thanks, Jan. All right, so our last conversation here is with Jan and our other Liz. Yeah, so take us through your relationship and how that came about and what's happened.

Liz Ganno: 43:26

Yeah, so one of the first times I met Jan was actually from through a friend, Garnet, for the Whiting Provisions. And she is a member here, and there was a couple of free classes. And so one of them that I went to was an 80s theme class, which, I mean, great music, great energy. It was a great workout. Yes, exactly. And at the time I was getting my nutrition certification, but I hadn't finished it yet, and I didn't really think to the future about how Jan would be an amazing resource for me. So, you know, fast forward to last year, I got my certification. Probably in like December, maybe. I was like, I want to do some networking. I want to get to know more people in the community who are in the health and wellness space. And so Jan immediately came to mind because from the brief time that I had met her, I knew she was very experienced as a well-established business owner, and I felt like she was very approachable. So I had contacted her and asked, like, you know, would you be interested in, you know, jumping on a Zoom with me? I want to kind of just pick your brain as a businesswoman, as somebody else in the community who is in a similar space. And I had a plan when I got on that call. My plan was like, okay, after I ask all my questions, get all my business advice, I wanted to ask her about maybe collaborating here. But in the moment, I got scared. I didn't ask her, but thankfully Jan brought it up. She said, you know, Liz, you should come. It's very similar, sounds very similar to her story that I've heard, you know, with others is hey, you should come in here and do a free workshop sometime for people. So in April of this year, I did my first free workshop here in the studio, and it was just amazing to have her to push me and have that support.

Jan Taylor: 45:18

Well, that's again, you see the potential that people don't see in themselves. So, Liz, you are just a superstar ready to jump into the great wellness world. So I love that I beat you to the punch on asking to do the workshop. 

Liz Ganno: 45:32

Me too, because it took pressure off of me. 

Jan Taylor: 45:36

Right. Oh, great. So this is the thing. Saying that you find me very approachable is probably one of the greatest compliments someone could give because we should be, we should be helping each other out. And so there's just some tidbits I'm hearing here. Simple, put out other people's business cards. Simple, be approachable. Simple, have the conversation. There's so many things that we can do to help make this what can be a, it's scary. It's scary. I remember, I think what is so special to me about seeing Liz and the progress that she has made, and she's doing her second workshop on Wednesday, October 1st. Be sure to sign up, 6:30 p.m. right here in this space. Build a better plate. My gosh, you want to come in and experience her in her element. But my gosh, it's scary. And I remember that feeling of doing my first. Oh my gosh, guys. So I talk a lot and I talk a lot publicly. But when I started teaching, I was terrified. So every now and then in the Get Lively community, we bring out this old composition book of the first class I ever taught. And it is literally, Hi, I'm Jan Taylor. This is what Pilates is. It's almost like a third grader wrote it. And I literally had this book that I was going through this script. And so I remember. Oh, do I remember. So if I can shorten that journey or shorten that fear for anybody, like what a great thing to be able to do. So you got this.

Liz Ganno: 46:59

Yeah. For my workshop, I did have a written-out script that said, Hi, my name is Liz Ganno. Jan’s like, I don't think you need that.

Jan Taylor: 47:09

Save it. You'll love bringing it out in five years.

Matt Hanna: 47:13

Yeah. So again, it sounds like you were helped immensely by this relationship, but was there other than that first conversation, like setting up workshops, what was the process of that like? Just you know, take us through some of the details for people who might want to.

Liz Ganno: 47:26

Yeah. So, I mean, we set up the workshop, and so we were able to have a few calls in between. I remember coming in here before the workshop, sitting back there and talking to her about some of my ideas, and she gave me some advice on that. I remember being terrified. But it came together great. And it, you know, we're having a second workshop here. And I think a huge thing is like mindset, which I feel like has been the kind of a theme, is that changing my mindset and how I kind of see our relationship too. Because I feel like when I first reached out, I was, you know, looking to you for guidance and looking to you as like a great resource. So but I feel like I've been able to see where like it can be a mutually beneficial relationship. And it might not be in the same capacity, but that doesn't mean that we can't help each other with me bringing in new faces in when I have the workshop and, you know, connecting with your members to increase my business as well.

Jan Taylor: 48:25

It's also it speaks to what Liz was saying earlier about being able to authentically recommend someone. I did a consult with someone recently who was looking for personal training, and I just knew she wasn't, there was work that needed to be done prior to that. So I said, you know what, if you're open to this, I actually would love for you to work with somebody who we partner with at the studio who I think would be the great next step for you before you then come to us for training. So yes, it's like Liz and I were saying, we just want you to move, we want you to be well. So let's all find the right people to help make that happen at the right time. So very much partnership. It's not that I'm here helping you, it's that we're helping each other.

Matt Hanna: 49:05

Doug and Erin, any thoughts?

Doug Orifice: 49:07

I got a wacky little anecdote. Frank and I were talking about the middle school football game that happened last night. So the middle school hasn't had a football team in a number of years. Ever? Never? So they're a startup and they got on field last night, played their second game, and they had their first victory last night, right. Why the hell does Doug bring this up during a business podcast? These are just young kids, sixth, seventh, eighth graders. When they won the game last night, the varsity football players stormed the field.

Doug Orifice: 49:36

From high school, stormed the field in support of all the middle schoolers. The varsity football players had a t-shirt on, and on the back, we over me. That is the culture that you have going on in that program. That's the culture that we have going on right here. That's the culture that we have on this table. That's that like third dimension thing that you don't have on an Excel spreadsheet, is like, okay, I run my own business, but it's there's never a day where it's about me. I feel like I've been so well rewarded by this community and my clients. It's part of the reason why we do what we do at the WBC every day, because like this is part of our giving back mission, right. And if you can either explain to that next person or hey, we got Liz Ganno right here too. There's plenty of we over me in this community. There's so many people that have your back that you haven't even met yet, which is great. If you haven't started a business yet, but you're thinking about it, that's the community that you're getting into. If you've been working really, really hard in some multi-generational business for 60 years on Main Street or Mount Auburn Street, and you haven't had a conversation with us yet, we're here and we get your back too, right. So, anyways, it's just amazing to be a part of this community. It's cool to see the buy-in to that culture, whether it's at Victory Field during a football game, or it's at your studio, or it's at, you know, a WBC event or whatever it is. It's awesome. So, anyways, let's do what we can to keep the we over me going.

Erin Rathe: 50:56

I'm just gonna add on to that because I have another little anecdote to add. I had a conversation yesterday with somebody who's interested in connecting the bioscience community a little bit more within Watertown. And so we were chatting about this, and he was saying to me that he goes to First Yard Barber, which is right on Galen Street. We love Omar. Speaking of newsletters, I have one as well for economic development. It comes out monthly, and I did a profile of Omar, two months ago at the end of the newsletter. So Omar is the owner of First Yard Barber, and this guy was telling me, yeah, I was just kind of, you know how when you're in the barber shop, you're just kind of chatting about stuff. And I started telling him about this. I mean, Omar is, Omar is very cool. He is like a serial entrepreneur and he's started many, many different businesses. But he then in the barber chair was like, yeah, go for it. And again, it's we over me. And I just I'm gonna go back to where I started. This does not happen in every community. This is really, really special. So I'm very, very impressed. I don't mean to sound weird, but I'm very, very proud of all of you because this is just it's an amazing community and it's an amazing spirit. And we see it everywhere. We all have multiple of these anecdotes, and it's amazing.

Matt Hanna: 52:14

Well, do any of you have other thoughts on your collaborations that you want to share before we open up to any questions from the audience?

Liz Ganno: 52:22

I do have one other thing I wanted to make sure I talked about. So connecting with Jan has given me that little extra boost that I needed. So, you know, when I came to her to talk to her, I was feeling so overwhelmed. Starting a business is a big thing, you know, it's a big undertaking. It's different than maybe just like coaching my clients, you know, that I meet with. And so I've seen this image before. I don't know if anybody else has, but so it's on one side, it's a person who's feeling a little doubtful, a little overwhelmed, a little unsure of themselves. And then on the other side is the person who is feeling confident, who's feeling optimistic. And the bridge between those two people is somebody who believes in them. And so for me, that has been Jan. So I am very appreciative that to have that person who believes in you and pushes you to get out of your comfort zone, like coming here is pushing me out of my comfort zone. So that's just something that I am very thankful for.

Matt Hanna: 53:24

Yeah. And so if anyone is listening at home to this and you weren't able to make it out and you're a little nervous about reaching out, there are so many great people in this community that are willing to help you and help support you. So reach out. Audience, anyone have extra questions to throw out to anybody up here?

Speaker: 53:41

So I think deep down, everybody fantasizes about having their own business and starting something else and getting away from corporate America. But what was your jumping off point? What was the life event that either gave you the motivation or more importantly, the inspiration to say, I'm just gonna jump out of the nest. And if I fly, great. If I don't, I crash and burn.

Jan Taylor: 54:02

I'll hop in. So that person sitting over there said to me, So you've gotten all these certifications, you're learning all these things. You clearly love this. What are you doing with it? And I used to talk about, well, someday I'll work in fitness. Well, someday I'll do this. And the more and more I spoke about it, the more and more it started to become a maybe, maybe. I mean, honestly, I was two years in the making. It was two years from the first certification class I took to when I finally had the nerve to walk in and say to my VP, like, I'm leaving at the end of the fiscal year. And there were so much back and forth. And interestingly, and I'll just share this quickly. When I was first pondering, when I was finally to the point of like, oh, I'm gonna do this, I said, all right, I have to get a part-time job. I'm gonna try and work as a fundraiser part-time so that I can start to build the business. And again, that guy over there said to me, Go all in, like, go all in. So we went through our situation. And as Doug was saying earlier, fortunately, you see he's wearing a very corporate top right now because he has the corporate job or the insurance that was really vital to letting me have that jumping off point. So it's like, what is your situation? What can you do? What do you decide as an individual or as a couple or as a family, the tolerance for risk? And then finally trying to get comfortable with that. And so for us, it was a very staged situation. And Frank, the biggest thing for me was someone said to me at one point, Jan, do you really think that if it doesn't work out, you can't go back into fundraising? Because in my head there was this thing of, well, if I leave my job and I start this business, that's it. And if I fall flat on my face, then I'm stuck on the floor flat on my face the rest of my life. Well, interestingly, I, in 45 minutes, I will be heading off to my other job because last year I started back working as a fundraiser again. And after 10 years in business, business is not easy, right. There were a lot of factors that brought me to where originally I thought I was going to have to do a job and then start the business, but we went all in and it's been incredible for over a decade. And just this last year, I realized, you know what, I need to be doing something else alongside of this. So you never know what's going to happen. But once you jump off and do it, it doesn't mean that that's the only option. And for me, that's that was what I was so afraid of. This is it, and I'm gonna fail, and then I'm done. There's so many things that you can do along the way. So great question.

Erin Rathe: 56:36

I'll share mine actually. So I was in a PhD program at Tufts in English literature. So not business related, not corporate even. And I was writing my dissertation. I was about halfway through my dissertation, and some things changed at the university, and I was at this, you know, decision point and decided with my then husband that it's just it wasn't going to be right for our family to continue. And supportive guy said, Go ahead, you know, you've always wanted to start a business. I think you're absolutely right. Everybody has some little business dream. So I went to, I don't know if you know this, but Martha Stewart has this whole, you know, she has a whole huge media company. And for a number of years, she actually was doing a conference in the fall called the American Made Conference. So I went to her building and went to this conference, and there were 300 people in the room, all of whom were trying to start their own company. And again, when I was talking to this guy yesterday who was talking about being in the barber chair, he even said to me, Why me? Like, why am I doing this? I sat in that room with 300 people at Martha Stewart's building, and I just had this moment of, why not me? Right? What is different about me from anybody else in this room? Everybody else in this room is thinking about taking this leap, or they've started to take the leap. They've got an idea, they're gonna go through with it. Why not? I mean, what we often do, we doubt ourselves so much, but I think going ahead and taking the leap, you're betting on yourself. I mean, this is why I love working with small businesses, because what I did in my store was work with makers. It was handmade, American-made stuff. I just admire anybody who is trying to make their living with their talent, their skill, their effort. And that is what I championed. So even though I failed, and people don't like to hear that. People, when I say, Oh, my business failed, no, no, no, no, no. No, it wasn't that. It failed. It did. I had it for four years. I didn't make money, I had to shut it down. But now I'm in this position, just like Jan said, you don't know where it's gonna take you. I am doing what I'm doing now because my business failed, and I wouldn't have the knowledge that I have. Jan and I have talked about this. I think I'm in a much better position to help small business owners because I've been through that really painful experience. I understand all of that. So, anyway, that's my story. That was my jumping off point. And I think we have multiple jumping off points in our lives, right. So, you know, the road is long and you don't know what's around the bend.

Liz Padula: 59:24

Yeah, I might add, I think you're right in terms of people always want to be their own boss per se. And I guess for me, I actually prior to opening the yoga studio in 2015, I actually did have another business idea, maybe in 2006, I think. I had my second daughter was about one, and a friend and I, we had a business idea called Smash Cake, and we were thinking we were gonna write a book and make a cake kit for, you know, one year old birthday parties. And I went to a fancy food show, and then I realized I knew nothing about bringing a food product to market. So we kind of put the plan together, but then I ended up, you know, scratching that and you know, put that on the back burner. It was like, that wasn't the idea. I had been in business school a TA for an entrepreneurship professor. And so I did always have in the back of my mind, what does make a good business idea, good business plan? So that one got scratched, and I just kept moving along in my career. And then I'd say in about 2011, 2012, a couple of things happened. I'd been working in a software technology company, working part-time before that was even trendy, had a flex work schedule. And fast forward, I ended up coming out of first breast cancer. And then my mom and my sister passed away within like a six-month period. And that kind of takes stock in your life when you say, you know, wow, like big pivot point. And I think there are always these inflection points where you have to say what's important. And for me, I go back to that kind of concept of Warren Buffett where he's like, you know, do what you know, open something that feels good to you, something that's comfortable, that's going to resonate. And I had always been doing yoga, and yoga got me through that really hard, dark time. So I started putting the pieces together, getting the yoga certifications. I had been an avid student for more than 20 years. But how can I kind of turn that passion into sort of a purpose? And how can I kind of use that sense of wanting to have a bit more job fulfillment and share something that was really important for me and meaningful with others? And so then I did, kind of like Jan said, opened up in my basement and started the path. So I think sometimes there is always a pivot point, a catalyst or sort of a something that happens in your life, maybe that takes stock of what's important and where am I going to go from here? So that's kind of my story. But it was sort of this in the back of my head. I think always thinking, I do want to be my own, you know, boss in some sense. And sometimes I think maybe that had to do with being like my dad's parents were immigrants, my mom's parents were immigrants. There is sort of that you have to be able to kind of, you know, go through something which is the unknown and make something of it. And maybe you can do it yourself. You have people along the way, you have your partners, you have your family members. But you know, it does take this sort of community effect, I think, to make it a reality. So I would say go for it.

Matt Hanna: 01:02:18

Either you want to hop on that or next question.

Liz Ganno: 01:02:21

So for me, and me and Frank kind of talked about this earlier, but where I started was actually because I saw a nutrition coach myself. I realized there were a lot of unhealthy habits or like my relationship with food and exercise was unhealthy. I looked at, you know, I need to work out to work off my food. You know, carbs are bad, fats are bad. And so I started working with my own nutrition coach and realized how many things I had to unlearn and new things that I had to learn in the, a different way. And so I realized at that point that if I can help even one person to feel differently and to understand that carbs are not bad, fat is not bad. Like we need all these things in our diet to feel good and to be strong and have a healthier life, that that was something I was very passionate about. So that's kind of where I got started. And I always question like, well, since I had some of these issues, am I going to be able to coach somebody else? But I now realize that that actually makes it so that I can relate and so that I do understand where a lot of clients are coming from. If, you know, if they do have the issues with food or exercise and need to work on that mindset, it actually has made me realize that that makes me a better coach.

Ariel Nathanson: 01:03:39

I guess I'll share my story. Sorry, guys. I think what I'm hearing, you know, just think Erin, you started with this, is like you don't know what's gonna come of like you don't know what's good and bad really at the time. Like you may think, oh, this business failure is bad, or this is like objectively bad. And then it's like, well, actually, the job that I have now, because of that, you know, to rephrase your story where like a traumatic death in the family has led you to have this opportunity to think clearly. And for me, it was one of those things where in the moment I was like, this sucks, which was I worked at a tech company before I wore this hat. And I'd been there for eight years. It was an amazing company. And as a part of my like longevity service, which as a millennial is rare, they offered me a three-month sabbatical and I was super excited to take it. And it started leap day of 2020. So we all know what happened March 2020. So I was like, you know, got my plans, so excited, like leaving work behind and, you know, shut down. None of those things happened, or very few of them. I was in Australia and had to come back, first world problems. Anyway, so I was sitting at home and everyone's like, Oh, you're gonna go back to work, right? Like you're gonna go back to work. And I was like, heck no, I am not going back to work. I would rather sit here having a pity party for myself with all these canceled plans than go back to work. So I was sitting there having a pity party for myself March 2020, along with the rest of the world and the chaos that we were in, let's be real. And it basically freed up that mental space. Because oftentimes when we're thinking about, hey, I want to start my own business, who has the time if you're working full time, if you have kids, if you have partnerships, if you have people that rely on you, if you have a life, if you're a human in this current world and climate, who has the mental space to really dream and think big? And that was one of those things where it was like, yeah, this really sucks that all my plans were canceled. And wow, my brain is suddenly like lighter and a little bit freer in terms of, not again the climate at the time, but you know, just the ability to think and dream a little. So that actually ended up being something very good that started off as very shitty. Can I? Not sure about the podcast rating. So I had some time on my hands and it really allowed me to think about like, you know, what am I good at? What do I enjoy? What's unique to me? What if something in the personal finance world, you know, I talk about this a lot, money is still considered taboo or rude or impolite. And if you were socialized or identify as a woman in particular, there's a lot of stigma around that as well. So, you know, being a resource for my peers and friends around the money piece, I was like, hey, hang on, like there might be something here beyond like the traditional finance sector that I can offer. And five years in, I'm like so glad I did it because like who the heck knows what a money coach does or is it like, what? What is this thing? But I had the opportunity to like dream and I got a certification. And yeah, I guess just to put it out there that like you don't know what's good or bad at the time. It may seem obvious, but like who knows what may come of it. And I'm yeah, I'm here because of all my plants getting canceled in March 2020. So excellent.

Matt Hanna: 01:06:28

Nice. All right.

Speaker: 01:06:29

Hello, everyone. I'm Evelyn, Watertown Cable Access TV. So I really love this whole collaborating thing. I always advocating for businesses to work together. My question is, you know, with all the collaboration, how do you measure impact and how do you use that impact to get more clients? And the second question is a lot of people, especially nutrition, people are using ChatGPT or downloading, like, you know, those uh what do you call workout videos? Do you proceed you adding that to your business or do you think you're not there yet, or people are just not responding to the workouts? I mean, because I download two and I don't even, I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna do this. And I'm like, you know, I prefer to go in and be with around other people and don't I hardly ever use the app. So just wanted to get your perspective.

Jan Taylor: 01:07:17

Don't be like Bob in his basement.

Matt Hanna: 01:07:23

Ouch, call out there.

Jan Taylor: 01:07:25

I couldn't resist.

Liz Ganno: 01:07:31

I mean, I'll kind of go to your second part of your question in regards to that. So I think, yes, that is something that I think about and like definitely something that could be a worry. But also I think what is very different is that Chat GPT does not have like all your background information. They're not a human connection that like I understand if you are taking your kids to sports practices and you work full time and you are, you know, have a spouse, et cetera, all the things, all those demands. I understand what that real life is. And I understand how to incorporate small changes that are sustainable that you can incorporate into your lifestyle. Like you're not getting that on the computer. So I think that's something that, that makes me feel a little bit better is like I know that I'm providing that human connection. I am providing that very specific, individualized ideas and thoughts and plans where we also then, you know, what do you think of this? Or what are your ideas? Because a lot of the time it's a collaboration. It's not me saying, hey, I think you need to eat cottage cheese when the person hates cottage cheese. It's, hey, these are some thoughts. What are your thoughts? Like, how can we collaborate to make some that works for you?

Jan Taylor: 01:08:47

And Liz listens, Chat GPT doesn't, doesn't have ears.

Ariel Nathanson: 01:08:51

I mean, you're calling out nutrition specifically, but this is coming for all of us, right? That I mean, it's there's a lot of news in the personal finance sector as well. I'm still formulating my thoughts on this. So at risk of just saying what I'm thinking in real time. I think, at least from the personal finance angle, there's a huge benefit to people having access to this knowledge. Like if someone can use Chat GPT, I mean, there's been studies to show like people have figured out debt payment and things like that, which is fantastic. Like lowering the bar, lowering the like ability to access this knowledge, like great. If that can help people, fantastic. But to Liz's point, there's a human touch element that is like, you know, that third element or that third dimension that Doug was mentioning earlier, which is like, what does it look like to be seen and heard and felt by another human, which especially around a lot of the stuff that we deal with, there's a morality piece. Like if you're navigating financial issues and you're struggling with them, there's that shame and fear and guilt. And this is a cultural problem. This is not a you problem, which is what I say a lot. But I'm sure the same is true around weight or nutrition or all these things that people come to seek external support with. And like Chat GPT isn't gonna give you that human connection and that, you know, even just like to be seen by another person. So I think on the one hand, it's great that it is improving access to knowledge. I don't, you know, we'll see what happens because there's also been things about ChatGPT going rogue and like really, I did a newsletter on how it's been biased in terms of salary recommendations where women and people of color, it's telling them to ask for lower salaries and they've done studies on this. So if you're curious about it, check out my newsletter and website. But yeah, this is like there's flaws, and also people who want that human touch are gonna seek it out and hopefully benefit from it. So it's here to stay and it's coming for all of our sectors, whether or not we're ready for it.

Matt Hanna: 01:10:36

Well, did anyone want to answer that first question, the impact part of her question at all?

Doug Orifice: 01:10:41

I'll throw one out there.

Matt Hanna: 01:10:42

Yeah.

Doug Orifice: 01:10:43

So just thinking in perspective of the Watertown Business Coalition that will turn six years old in November, right? Does that sound about right? Every time we're adding programming or adding a partnership or expanding something, I guess means we're having some impact because the thing before it worked well enough that we decided to do another thing or somebody reached out to us or gave us a chance to partner up. So looking back, we would not have had the impact without many of these collaborations, and they haven't all worked, right. They haven't all been well attended, but I'm pretty excited to kind of look back six years of community or business community, community within our nonprofit community, that we do keep expanding, right. And if we do keep expanding and we're gonna have, you know, our hand in about 20 plus events this year, there's gotta be some impact there. Got to be some impact based on the stories that we've heard from you four today, right? So I don't know if that answers your question, but I feel like I'm seeing a whole lot of impact.

Liz Ganno: 01:11:39

I will just add on to that. So I went to the Empowering Women in Watertown workshop, the both of them. And the first one, I remember walking away, and I was in awe of the women who were on that panel. And I remember thinking, like, oh my god, I could never do that. So here I am, here I am.

Liz Ganno: 01:11:57

But like I walked away from that with so much, and it was so impactful. So, yes, I can say that it has been impactful.

Speaker: 01:12:07

Hello, my name is Erykah. In general, I want to thank you all for your insight. It's really beautiful to see and feel the light workers out and like just wanting to be of service. And as a serialpreneur myself, who is all about serving and helping and supporting others, my question really is around there's so many resources, Chat GPT, etc., where people feel really overwhelmed with the quote unquote startup process in that phase and like when is it a hobby? When should I legalize? And oh, do I need insurance and XYZ? And I just wanted to put that out there to have you provide some feedback around those phases in the beginning and how you operated and handled those. 

Erin Rathe: 01:12:50

So here's a plug for the city. My services are free. I'm always happy to sit down and just talk through all of that. I don't know everything, but I'm good at research and good at reaching out to people when I don't know, you know, all of these amazing resources. So, I mean, that's number one, right? Definitely talk with me. I'm happy to talk about that. But I'm sure they have other ideas too.

Jan Taylor: 01:13:13

I'll hop in. Yeah. Erykah, there's a couple of things I would say. First, I feel, and I remember talking to Ariel about this, formalizing your business early on makes it formal for you. And I remember when we spoke about that commitment to pick a day of the week and send out that newsletter. Because for me personally, a business coach said that to me probably nine years ago. She said, Jan, you have to commit to this. Get your, I actually got my LLC and did all of that early on because it had to be real to me in order for me to treat it as a real professional thing. So I highly encourage you to do that. The other thing I'd say is be open. Do you think I would think that 11 and a half years later I'd be sitting in the studio about to then go back into working in an employment situation at a nonprofit? Never. But it totally works. I was open to the evolution of the business, the evolution of my role, the evolution of what my career was going to look like. And there was a lot of, oh my God, did I fail because I'm not going to be at the studio full time anymore? Frankly, I didn't want to train full time anymore. I got to the point where 10 hours a day on this floor, as much as Doug knows, I love being in a plank. Like at some point I needed a break. And it's so I had to be open to exploring my own identity crisis and all of that. Am I still Jan Lively? Yes, I am. So being open to all of those things. So I would say make it real for you, and then be open to how that may evolve.

Liz Padula: 01:14:42

I would also just add that I think having all this online access is very helpful too, because it can shorten the path for you. It can provide you with a lot of templates and resources. So you don't need to recreate the wheel yourself. Another thing that I found in my industry, there is a trade association, Yoga Alliance, and it was not very expensive for me to join, but when I did, there was a lot of resources there of, you know, industry discounts on insurance, you know, documents for waivers and things. And so sometimes there might be an industry association that can help kind of shorten the ramp as well. So maybe look for some things like that too.

Matt Hanna: 01:15:19

Any other thoughts? Okay. Any other questions? Bob, all right. Here's Bob's comeback. All right.

Speaker: 01:15:29

Thank you so much, Matt. Thanks for putting this together. This is so enlightening, so fantastic. It's, you know, this is what makes Watertown unique. And Doug was talking about it, Erin as well. But you know, that's what we want. We want to be unique. We want to be the place where small business survives because there's so many things and distractions pulling on small business that's, you know, rent. And it's all money-based, right? Like rent, cost of materials, how am I going to do this? Too many distractions. AI. There's so much out there. And I think this panel has been so great because I think the common theme that I got out of this was that you each have a real passion for people. And I think that's really where it drives. Like one thing I was taught early on is like if you focus on the money, you're focusing on the wrong thing. Like you have to focus on your service and you have to focus on the people. The money will come, the success will come, and Liz. Like you're, you know, you're a year in, right? So, but you look at all these other folks up here, but I bet you look back and say, you know, wow, it's been 12 months. Right? So, and it's like the little wins, right? First year anniversary, another client, whatever it is. Like those are the things you need to focus on. I think it's so hard to do that this day and age because of all the distractions, and that everything is all about money. So I really appreciate all of you, everything that you do, everything that you bring to Watertown selfishly, because we're here to try and make this community the best place possible. And this is how it happens, right here. These people right here. So that's not really a question, it's more of a statement and a you know cheering section. So thank you all. Appreciate all you do.

Matt Hanna

All right. Any other thoughts before we wrap it up? 

Liz Padula: 01:17:08

I just wanted to give a shout out to you, Matt, though, because I think one of the things that you've done with little local. Yeah. So I met Matt almost one of the first weeks that I opened. Matt was a student at Artemis. I found out he is an amazing musician. He's played for some of my restorative yoga classes. And then fast forward a few years later, a few years ago, and he started this little local conversations podcast, which has been for me personally like an amazing way to get to know the Watertown community. Because as much as I enjoy meeting people and networking and all these events, I can't, I don't hear all the backstories. And you have documented so many amazing conversations and allowed people to amplify their voices and kind of created this kind of podcast community that I just think is really special. And now you're morphing into panels like this. I'm just really impressed and really grateful because I think it's an amazing resource that you've brought to the community. So thank you. 

Jan Taylor: 01:18:08

Thank you. Agreed, thank you, Matt.

Doug Orifice: 01:18:11

Matt, I could not echo that more. I think of the number of ways that we're able to scale conversations like this, right. So, Ariel, to go back to like the yuckiness of networking early on, right. If you've ever been part of like a BNI group or anything like that, to me, what moved the needle in those groups was these one-on-one chats. One-on-one chats are great because you're fully invested in a conversation. It's a two-way street. Maybe you put a little bit more out there than you otherwise would, but it's one conversation, and there's no way to scale that, right? Matt, somehow you have found a way to scale those conversations, which is incredible. And giving us opportunities to not have this in a closed circuit space, a more open space. I have no idea who's going to listen to this afterwards, but will there be impact? I hope so, right. So, anyways, thanks for your creativity, trying things that are new. Just a general thank you so much.

Matt Hanna: 01:18:59

Thank you. Well, thank you everybody for coming out. Thank you, everyone who is listening. Thank you, panelists, for sharing your thoughts. I will put links for anyone's listening to all their things so you can go find them and ask them questions afterwards. People who are still here, chat with people, get their information, pick their brain, share your story too, and let's make Watertown even better than it is. 

Matt Hanna: 01:19:23

So that's it for the Watertown's Open panel. I will put links in the show notes for all the people involved so you can find out more about them and their businesses. And if you want to find more episodes of the podcast where I interview various business owners and other folks doing things in town, head on over to LittleLocalConversations.com. You can also sign up for my newsletter there to keep up to date on episodes released, but also events coming up, such as more Watertown's Open event. There'll be one coming up in November, based around real estate and development in Watertown. So keep an eye out for that. I'll get information up on that soon. I'm also going to be running a local holiday giveaway for businesses in Watertown. For supporters of the podcast, you'll get a chance to win some cool gifts from local businesses. I've got a good amount on board so far and probably about $500 worth of stuff to give away. So I'm excited to help get people out supporting local businesses, and hopefully they'll go back to them. So I'll have that information up soon as well. So again, go to LittleLocalConversations.com, sign up for my newsletter so you can keep up to date with all that. And if you'd like to help support the podcast, so you can be entered in that chance to win some local gift cards, go to the website, click in the menu. There's a support local conversation button there. And support at any monthly amount, and you'll be entered into that. And you'll be helping keep these conversations going. 

Matt Hanna: 01:20:40

All right, and to wrap up here, I want to give a few shout-outs. First one goes to podcast sponsor, Arsenal Financial. They're our financial planning business here in Watertown that's owned by Doug Orifice, who's a very committed community member, and his business helps busy families, people close to retirement, and small businesses. So if you need help in any of those areas, reach out to Doug and his team at arsenalfinancial.com. I also want to give a thank you to the Watertown Cultural Council, who has given me a grant this year to help support the podcast. So I want to give them the appropriate credit, which is, this program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. You can find out more about them at WatertownCulturalCouncil.org and MassCulturalCouncil.org. And a couple more shout outs to promotional partners. First one goes to the Watertown Business Coalition. They're a nonprofit organization here in Watertown, bringing businesses and people together to help strengthen the community. You can find out more about them at WatertownBusinessCoalition.com. And lastly, promotional partner Watertown News, which is an online newspaper focused purely on Watertown, run here by Charlie Breitrose. It's a great resource, so go check that out at WatertownMANews.com. So that's it. Until next time, take care.