Vela Creative Co.
40 episodes listed below
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The Lay the Course Podcast began in 2020 – highlighting personal stories of professionals in business. Now, we are evolving and not only sharing the experiences and expertise these entrepreneurs have in owning their own business, but including the actionable steps you can take to lay the course to your own success. Join your host, Kelsey Stine, the owner of Vela Creative Co., as she has conversations learning the ins and outs of business, as well as the tips and tools successful professionals are discovering along the way.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Kelsey Stein translates entrepreneurial experience into clear questions about hiring, marketing, financial systems, and sustainable business growth.
Lay the Course Podcast turns conversations with business owners into practical examinations of how a growing company actually works. Kelsey Stein begins with each guest's path into entrepreneurship, then presses toward usable decisions: when to hire an employee, how to build…
A ten-hour hire gets a real HR answer here, right where your business starts feeling grown-up.
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A practical, community-minded look at SEO as a growth tool for small businesses.
Kim Fischer treats SEO as a working tool, not a buzzword. The episode stays close to the day-to-day reality of a small agency, moving through search, paid ads, Google Ads, referrals, and community without pretending there is one neat formula for growth.
Practical money-management advice for founders who are meeting goals but still feel uneasy about the numbers.
Money management is framed as a practical system for small-business owners who are hitting sales goals but still feel confused, anxious, or broke.
HR touches every part of a business, and the hiring side feels more manageable here.
Kelsey Stein and Kira talk through HR and hiring as practical business work, not an abstract back-office task. The conversation ties HR to profit margins, team protection, compliance, job design, and the cost of cutting corners, while also making the point that there is no…
Audience first, then the product, with newsletters doing much of the leverage work.
Yong-Soo Chung keeps the focus on the mechanics of growing a business: build an audience first, use the newsletter and podcast deliberately, and treat distribution as part of the job.
Practical content advice on using simple visuals, natural light, and saved inspiration to make a business look more polished online.
Lay the Course follows Kelsey Stein in conversation with Ellen Prostrosky about how visuals can make a business feel more polished and ready for the web.
A grounded look at cash discipline, timing, and the first hire for founders.
The conversation follows Octavia Conner as she talks through rebuilding a business after an early attempt went wrong, and the money rules she now uses to keep from repeating it.
A candid discussion of leadership, self-care, and mental health at work.
The episode ties mental health in the workplace to entrepreneurship and licensure through Shara, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and LinkedIn advisor.
Practical Instagram organization advice built around a repeatable content system.
This episode presents Lizzie Mattson as a practical guide to Instagram work, with the focus squarely on organization and a repeatable workflow.
Rob Walling on bootstrapped SaaS growth, plateaus, and exits — with founders who lived them.
Abbey Ashley's playbook for turning your job skills into a virtual assistant business.
Naval Ravikant on epistemology, startups, and crypto, from David Deutsch to Vitalik Buterin.
Alex Theuma interviews SaaS founders and investors on scaling to $10M-plus ARR.
Guy Raz traces founders' origin stories and fields live advice-line calls from entrepreneurs.
Alex Blumberg interviews guests like Megan Phelps-Roper and Shane McAnally about failure and reinvention.
Kelsey Stein talks with Ellen Prostrosky, a content creator and landscape artist based in the Black Hills of South Dakota, about how she moved from portrait photography into brand content for businesses.
Kelsey Stein interviews Octavia Conner of Say Yes to Profits, a full-service accounting and business consulting firm, about turning a business around after a negative $152 bank balance and almost losing a house.
Lizzie Mattson says an Instagram shutdown for about a week changed how she thinks about owning audience relationships, because losing DMs showed her how much she depended on one platform.
Kelsey Stein welcomes Izzy for a warm conversation about branding, standing out, and what makes one business feel distinct.
Kelsey Stein opens by setting the tone around business growth, mindset, and practical next steps.
Kelsey Stein opens the episode and welcomes Shara to talk about mental health in the workplace.
Kim can talk SEO all day.
Quinn Driscoll makes small business money feel a little less foggy.
Kelsey Stein brings Kira on to talk about HR, hiring, and the practical side of growing a business.