Episode description

“Artists starving? There’s absolutely no reason for that.” Sonja Rasula is the founder of Unique Markets, a Los Angeles-based pop-up market showcase for artisans and makers. In this week's episode, she talks to us about her hands-on approach to training small business owners in the art of selling their art, why she launched Unique Markets during a recession, and why hitting the pause button now can help businesses recover down the road.

Rasula, who got her start in retail and later launched websites like NatGeo and FoodTV, understands the path between creating beautiful products and actually selling them. She ensures that her carefully selected vendors are trained on how to talk to shoppers and use tools like social media and branding to grow. Our conversation with her also includes the power of a drive-time epiphany, why she she's as busy during a shutdown as she was in her launch phase, and how she chose conscious consumerism in the first place.