Before I get into the details of this interview, I want to share something that a friend said to me over a recent Skype conversation. He's been listening to the podcast and the last couple of interviews have been with people in my Mastermind (Adam Spiel and Troy Broussard). Both have very profitable businesses and are running their businesses in a completely different way (there are definitely some methodologies they both use, but the model is different). He said something that made me realize I've been feeling something similar. I'm going to paraphrase what he said, but here's the jist of his statement: "There are so many different ways to do things and they all sound good, now I'm more confused as to which way I should build my business!" Wow. This totally struck a nerve with me because I realized that recently I'd gone off my own path. It used to be that I would distract myself by buying information products (i.e, shiny object syndrome). But instead of the "shiny object syndrome" of buying products (I rarely buy things online for my business anymore unless they directly relate to what I'm currently doing) I'd become a collector of 'methodologies'. Instead of focusing on what I know in my gut I want to do and build (and how I want to do it), I was becoming distracted (and frustrated) with the way other people were doing things. Which brings me to my interview with Tea' Silvestre of Story Bistro. Tea and I connected at a WordPress meetup in the Bay Area a few years ago and I'm SO grateful we did. I don't go to WordPress meetups very often (I've spoken at a few) because it's not really my audience and there aren't any that are close enough for me to pop into. Needless to say connecting with Tea was a huge bonus (especially since her business isn't really about WordPress, she was going to the meetups to connect with people). Before I even had the pleasure of really getting to know Tea I instantly felt at ease with her and knew how she went about building and growing her business resonated with me. You'll hear Tea's story of what she did prior to Story Bistro, how she decided to move from "The Word Chef" (although she's still 'The Chef') to Story Bistro and why she's so committed to doing things in a 'real' way. We talked about doing things in an authentic way and without the Hype. Tea shares her story of getting fed up with the corporate world, moving into local government and then the non-profit sector with her own business. Even then she was driven by doing good things and with integrity (and because of that Tea' has a high bullshit detector - my words, not hers, and is quick to call out what she feels isn't right. One of the things I respect most about her). We talked about her move from The Bay Area to Oregon (I'll be trekking up this summer to visit her) and her contemplation of moving to Detroit (housing is really affordable in Detroit). Tired of all the hype and feeling like there was no where to go, Tea created Story Bistro because she was drawn to the Story Telling of marketing and the real connection that can be created when you do things with intention, skill and integrity. And I LOVE it! BUT.. just to be clear, as much as I'm talking about authenticity and non-hypey marketing, Tea is brilliant at what she does and has the skills to back it up (hence the integrity). Oh, and she mentioned cooking rabbit and how it relates to marketing. Really. Enjoy the interview and be sure to connect with Tea at Story Bistro and the Digital Dining Room.