Start With What You Know and Figure Out the Rest w/ Jenna McKnight | Ep 40

Jenna McKnight opened Aqua Fedora in downtown Wilmington in 2009, right after a recession, without a business degree, a perfect plan, or really any idea what the next 17 years were going to look like. She just knew she wanted to build something of her own, and she was willing to figure out the rest as she went. In this episode, Jenna and I talk about what it actually takes to keep a brick-and-mortar business alive through slow seasons, online shopping, COVID, changing tourism, and all the other things small business owners absolutely cannot control. We also get into something I think every business can learn from retail: creating an experience that makes people feel welcomed, taken care of, and excited to come back. We also talk about how Jenna turned her natural eye for design into a second business, Aqua Home Staging. She basically jumped in, staged her first house, learned how to price it as she went, and built the business largely through word of mouth and strong relationships with local realtors. And of course, we get into the less glamorous parts of entrepreneurship too: managing two businesses, learning to let your team take things off your plate, figuring out your numbers, hiring the right financial people, and accepting that you are never going to know everything before you start. Jenna is such a good example of what building a business actually looks like. You learn, adjust, make mistakes, keep going, and get really good at figuring things out along the way. Sometimes that matters a whole lot more than having the perfect plan. Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero. The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way. Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.