Carissa Gerard of Clear Awakening Talks Crave Business Chat.

A couple of weeks ago I reported about the CRAVE Business Chat. Unfortunately I couldn't make it after all - so I turned to a talented (and personal fave) Seattle lady, massage therapist Carissa Gerard of Clear Awakening, to give the scoop on February's biz chat. Here's what she had to say...


Have you been to a CRAVE business chat yet? If you are even slightly interested in becoming an entrepreneur then you have to attend one of these monthly meetings! The women that attend vary from being in business for years to just thinking about dipping a toe in the water. Either way, you’ll benefit from the stories, information and networking.

The February chat was held at 5 Focus, a holistic fitness center that has five focuses for lifestyle changes: fitness, food, flow, fortitude and follow through. Our speakers were Carrie from Bella Cupcake Couture and Denise from Flaunt Inc. Carrie is a new business owner specializing in gorgeous cupcake wrappers designed to give any cupcake a touch of elegance. Denise is an expert at all things QuickBooks and is able to teach any gal to be number savvy.

I was intrigued with Carrie’s story from the beginning; she received notice that she would be laid off from her long-time corporate banking position and only had seven months to decide what she wanted to do. After weighing her options she decided to follow her passion and go for it! It was inspiring to hear that she paved her way to success by doing her own research and fully embracing the “fake it til you make it” motto. I myself am a self taught entrepreneur and fully relate to stories of steadfast determination no matter what brick walls you may run into.

Just mentioning business finances makes my head spin. Denise made the subject approachable and with Flaunt Inc’s tagline “smart is the new sexy” how could you not want to learn? Five key tips we left with were:

Keep your chart of accounts manageable and simple.

Be current. Set a regular routine of entering in transactions weekly if not daily.

Stay Balanced. Reconcile bank accounts monthly and always know where you are at financially.

You can use QuickBooks for so much more than tracking finances. Stored client info makes easy marketing lists for fliers or event invitations.

Consistency is key. Enter everything the same way every time so you have complete information saving time in the future.

The easiest way to track and become familiar with your finances is to download QuickBooks. Denise says “for the cost of a pair of shoes you can have this reliable financial program”. She also teaches small classes so you can have precise instruction and become a QuickBooks expert yourself.

This was my first CRAVE chat and I am so delighted that I was able to attend. Rather than a formal presentation it was an open discussion where we were able to interact, ask questions and share our own stories and experiences. The discussion was not only informative but inspiring and thought provoking. I will definitely be back next month!


If you haven't already, be sure to connect with Carissa on Twitter @carissang and check out her massage therapy practice, @clearawakening!