Browse Episodes
New Ways of Looking at Bookselling: Subscription Services, Ecommerce and Audio Books with Letters Bookshop
This week we’re welcoming Land Arnold of Letters Bookshop. Land and Carrie begin by catching up with how Letters weathered the pandemic )they moved to a new location!). We then discuss selling on Bookshop.org, how the book industry’s experiences battling Amazon can be useful to other ecommerce shops, and why brick-and-mortar stores are important. We…
From Side Business to Book to Brick and Mortar with The Zen Succulent’s Megan Cain
This week we’re welcoming Megan Cain, owner of The Zen Succulent with locations in both Raleigh and Durham, NC. Megan got her start on Etsy while unable to land a job after graduating with a business degree and deciding to pursue what brought her peace and creativity – plants! We learn how Megan went from…
What to Do When You’re Expecting to Start a Business: Advice for Potential Entrepreneurs
This week we’re welcoming Jonathan Walls, a potential business owner who’s developing a board game concept. Carrie does her first business consultation with Jonathan, and we get to listen in! We hear what Carrie learned from her branding consultant, Emily Wells, and then we talk through Jonathan’s questions: Should he start an LLC or an…
Breaking the Mold with Alabama Home Girl’s Maddie Roberts
This week we’re talking with Maddie Roberts, realtor and cofounder of Alabama Home Girl Group, your go-to for all things real estate. Maddie tells us how she made the jump from marketing to real estate, and how she thinks outside the box when it comes to marketing her homes and services. Maddie shares her strategy…
Tech Startup Fundrage Turns Passion into Profit
This week we’re welcoming Maria Underwood, founder of the Chrome extension Fundrage that follows along as you read the news and allows you to donate to related nonprofits in real time. Maria had virtually no tech experience after a career in nonprofits, but decided to found Fundrage in 2017. Maria shares how she got started…
A Bookstore that Serves the Prison Community
This week we’re talking with Johnny Ardis, board member of Open Books and The Prison Book Project, a used bookstore and 501c3 nonprofit in Pensacola that sends books to inmates across Florida. We dive into the origin story of both the bookstore and the nonprofit and how it has evolved over the years, including how…
About the Localist Podcast
@crollwagen on InstagramA conversation with local makers and independent entrepreneurs.
Author and local business advocate Carrie Rollwagen invites mom-and-pops, freelancers, side hustlers, and start-up founders to talk about the ins and outs of how they got their start, the pros and cons of owning your own business, how they handle the hard stuff, and yes, even the mistakes they’ve made along the way. Carrie and her guests get into the nitty-gritty details: staffing, funding, hiring, and inspiring — and everything in between.
First-hand accounts of running a business
As a former small business owner, Carrie knows the struggles and triumphs of owning a business first-hand, and that experience helps her ask questions that are often ignored — questions about failure as well as success, and details about exactly how entrepreneurs face challenges, grow their businesses and work with their staffs.
The Localist Team
Carrie Rollwagen
Host
Carrie produces and hosts the podcast. She’s author of the Localist book, co-founder of Church Street Coffee & Books and VP of Infomedia.
Taylor Davis
Show Runner
Taylor keeps the podcast running and makes sure the rest of us stay on track. She’s also a videographer, photographer and marketing specialist.
Jen Tucker
Outreach Manager
Jen handles booking for the podcast and makes sure guests are prepped and welcomed when they visit our studio.
Alana Harmond
Promotions Manager
Alana manages our YouTube channel and handles show notes, as well as helping concept our promotions strategies.
The Localist Reviews
A Gem! I just discovered this podcast and let me tell you, I’m glad I did! The conversations are natural and easy going but you can also tell that Carrie has put a lot of thought and care in her questions. And I love that she’s also in Alabama!
A Must-Listen for Those Who Love Local! So excited to listen to Carrie’s new podcast! Whether you’re a small business owner, freelancer or just looking to get inspired — Carrie offers a wealth of information from the many skills she’s picked up throughout her diverse careers. I can’t wait to hear who she brings on The Localist!
Great Podcast! I just happened upon this podcast and It is really good. It gives really great tips and I especially liked the newest podcast about maintaining company culture in the current work from home environment.
Carrie has an obvious talent for storytelling and making an interview more of an engaging conversation. I’ve been a listener as well as a podcast guest and I’m in awe of Carrie’s ability to connect her guests’ experiences with something helpful and relevant to a wide range of listeners, whether or not they are local to Birmingham, Alabama. I also strongly suggest her book if you are into localism!
Lovely listen — I loved the “In Search Of The Perfect Storefront.” I found it entertaining, yet super informative. I even took notes, who am I?