Carla Treadway: How to be a Creative Entrepreneur

Carla's Business Odyssey: Director, Professor, and Gym Owner Extraordinaire

Meet Carla Treadway, the wonder woman juggling more roles than you have coffee cups. She's not just the Director of The BRITE Center and Assistant Professor of Business at The University of Findlay; she's working on turning "Ms." into "Dr." in business by 2025. Yes, you heard that right – two gyms, a professorship, a doctorate in the making, and a family- all in a day's work for Carla.

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Mastering the Gym Floor and the Classroom

Carla's not your typical gym owner; she's the proud brain behind Tread's Gym, not one, but two of them. If you think managing dumbbells is a workout, try running two gyms while keeping clients happy. She's scrappy in business, and always offers a nonsense (yet tastefully sensitive) approach to critique.

Kirby Overton, Dean of UF’s College of Business, saw Carla for her real-world experience and business knowledge, and created the Entrepreneurship program around Carla’s wisdom. And ever since, it’s safe to say UF Business students are all the more informed for the start of this partnership.

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Carla's Quest to Ignite Entrepreneurial Flames (including yours, truly)

Beyond dumbbells and boardrooms, Carla's biggest passion? Igniting the entrepreneurial flames in students. The BRITE Center is at UF is an UNBELIEVEABLE resource for students to plant and grow their entrepreneurial seeds in business, and it is how I got started with the design business. Carla helped me define my services and offering, build basic marketing principles, and left me with actionable steps to take to get started.

Carla’s got a Masters in Business and a mission: helping students find their entrepreneurial spark. Carla doesn't just stop at guiding them through LLC paperwork; she's a coach, a mentor, a one-woman entrepreneurial cheerleading squad. She's seen students birth all kinds of businesses, and she revels in the diverse success stories of those who go through UF College of Business.

From Mom to Mastermind: Carla's Balancing Act

Carla's not just a powerhouse in business and academia; she's a mom of two and a married woman. In the midst of chasing entrepreneurial dreams, she's mastered the delicate art of juggling motherhood and career. But here's the thing – beneath the vigorous exterior, Carla is also soft-hearted and vulnerable. She empathizes with students battling self-confidence, public speaking fears, and the daunting task of putting themselves out there.

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Carla's Toolbox of Wisdom: Building Relationships and Staying Top of Mind

What's Carla's secret sauce for success? Building relationships and staying top of mind in business.

‍In a world obsessed with the next big thing, Carla knows that lasting success is all about connections. She doesn't just preach it; she practices it, creating a legacy that extends far beyond the classroom and the gym floor.

In design, that means following up with clients. It means checking in with them when you see a design problem that needs solved, and it means offering value in any way you can. The connections you make with business partners often determine your level of success in building a business, and I am lucky that Carla engrained these ideas into me from a young age.

Business Knowledge for the Next Generation

Sure, Carla's got gyms, a doctorate in the making, and a knack for building businesses. But her true passion? Using her business knowledge to shape the next generation at The University of Findlay. Carla's on a mission, and it's not just about profit margins – it's about cultivating a future where every student can thrive in the world of entrepreneurship. That's not just a business plan; it's Carla's legacy in the making.

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grow your business. grow your mind.

The ability to learn from others, especially those you admire, is truly a superpower. That's why I started this show- and it's also why I created the Business Owner's Essential Reading Database to succinctly keep notes, find books at the cheapest price online, and use the information of those more successful than me to level up.

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