In Episode 4 of Local Bella, Alyssa sits down with longtime friend and tattoo artist Chris Lawrence of Black Rose Tattoo in South Elgin.

Chris has been tattooing Alyssa for years, so this conversation gets personal pretty quickly. 😂

They talk about what actually goes into being a tattoo artist beyond the hours spent with a client, including drawing, running a business, social media, managing a team, staying creative, and trying to keep up with everything when there never seems to be enough time.

Chris also talks about the evolution of tattooing, how technology has changed the industry, and what AI is doing to the creative process. Sometimes it can help generate an idea. Other times it creates expectations that simply do not translate well to actual skin.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What people don’t see behind the scenes of tattooing
• How much drawing and prep happens outside of an appointment
• Using AI as a creative tool without losing the human side of art
• Why some AI-generated tattoo ideas aren’t realistic on skin
• The pressure creatives feel to constantly make content
• Feeding the algorithm gods 😂
• Why time is one of the hardest parts of owning a creative business
• Running a tattoo shop during COVID
• How Black Rose grew after the pandemic
• Tattoo stereotypes that still need to disappear
• Clients who changed their minds at the last possible second
• Passing out during tattoos and other memorable stories
• The traditional and personal side of tattooing
• Why a tattoo appointment can sometimes feel a little like therapy
• Chris’s path from tattooing at home to owning a shop
• Building a team without treating artists like cash cows
• Managing different personalities inside a creative business
• How tattoo machines and technology have changed over the years
• The rise of at-home tattooing and “YouTube University”
• Taking care of your body when your job has you hunched over for hours
• What happens when your hobby becomes your work
• Being your own toughest critic as an artist
• The growth and revitalization happening around South Elgin
• Keeping up with the business side when you really just want to make art

Chris also shares how Black Rose Tattoo came together.

After spending years trying to break into the industry and dealing with shops that didn’t always feel particularly welcoming, one connection finally opened the right door. That eventually turned into an opportunity to take over the shop and build something of his own.

One thing that comes through throughout the episode is that Chris genuinely cares about the craft.

For him, tattooing is not just about getting as many people through the door as possible. It is about the artwork, the experience, learning from other artists, helping everyone around him improve, and continuing to get better himself.

And yes, part of owning a tattoo shop also includes chiropractors, back rollers and occasionally stretching in the break room. 😂

📸 Instagram: @tatsbyclaw📘 Facebook: Chris Lawrence📍 Black Rose Tattoo: South Elgin, Illinois📸 Black Rose Tattoo: @blackrosesouthelgin

Chris regularly shares his work online, and Black Rose posts work from the artists in the shop as well.

Local Bella is about the people, business owners, creatives, moms and community builders doing interesting things right in our own backyard.

Real conversations. Real businesses. Very little pretending we have everything figured out.

If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, comment and share it with a neighbor.

Basically, hit all the buttons. 😂

See you around town. ❤️

In Episode 3 of Local Bella, Alyssa sits down with financial advisor and professional people-connector Colin Powers to talk about money, networking, community, entrepreneurship and what happens when you stop trying to look like everyone else in your industry.

Colin helps people better understand their finances, choose accounts and investments that fit their goals, and build a financial approach around the life they actually want to live. But this conversation goes way beyond numbers.

Colin talks about starting his career as one of the younger people in a traditionally old-school industry and how, for a while, he wished he looked older just so people would take him more seriously.

Eventually, that shifted.

Instead of treating his age like a disadvantage, he started seeing it as a strength.

We also get into financial shame, why so many people are afraid to talk about money, the importance of finding a budgeting system that actually works for your brain, and why professional financial guidance may be more accessible than people assume.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why being young in your industry doesn’t have to be a disadvantage
• The difference between experience and simply doing the same thing for a long time
• Why Colin stopped trying to fit the stereotypical financial-advisor mold
• Finding networking groups where you actually feel welcome
• How to decide which networking events are worth your time
• Building genuine relationships instead of just collecting business cards
• Colin’s work with YELL, Young Emerging Leaders and Learners
• Why listening is such an important part of leadership
• The misconception that you need to be wealthy before working with a financial professional
• Why talking about money shouldn’t carry so much shame
• Simple ways to start paying attention to where your money is actually going
• Why budgeting doesn’t have to look the same for everyone
• Building financial systems around how you operate
• Colin’s personal story and what ultimately brought him into the financial industry
• Turning difficult experiences into something meaningful
• Why community involvement matters to him
• The power of simply being yourself in business
• Why you aren’t supposed to be the right fit for everybody

Colin also shares the personal story behind his career in finance. After unexpectedly losing his dad at a young age and seeing firsthand how financial stress affected his family, his career took a completely different direction. Today, helping people feel less overwhelmed by their finances has become much more personal than simply choosing investments.

And because this is Local Bella, we obviously talk community too.

Colin is heavily involved around Yorkville, regularly connects people with local networking opportunities and helps lead YELL through the Yorkville Area Chamber of Commerce. His approach is pretty simple: bring people together, make them feel welcome and help them find the people and resources they need.

Basically, know your numbers, find your people and stop trying so hard to look the part.

📱 Facebook: Search Colin Powers Financial Advisor📸 Instagram: Colin Powers Financial Advisor💼 LinkedIn: Colin Powers📞 Phone: 815-271-2575📧 Email: colin.powers@equitable.com

Local Bella is about the people, business owners, creatives, moms and community builders doing interesting things right in our own backyard.

Real conversations. Real businesses. Very little pretending we have everything figured out.

If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, comment and share it with a neighbor.

Basically, hit all the buttons. 😂

See you around town. ❤️

In this episode of Local Bella, Alyssa sits down with Jenn Wisegarver, founder of We Are Coming, a small business consultant who helps business owners figure out what’s working, what isn’t, what needs to happen next, and most importantly, actually get it done. Jenn’s work spans areas like strategy, project management, business consulting, change management and operations.

Jenn’s approach is refreshingly simple: the perfect plan doesn’t matter much if it never gets implemented.

One of her biggest pieces of advice?

Do the 1.0 version.

It might not be the prettiest or most optimized version yet, but if it gets finished, you finally have something real to improve.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why “done” can be more valuable than “perfect”

• Starting a business before everything is completely figured out

• How Jenn made the leap into entrepreneurship

• Why people often want you before you think you’re ready

• The reality of running a business without a huge financial safety net

• Why systems and operations matter when you’re trying to grow

• Building workflows that actually fit into real life

• Working with busy business owners, parents and small teams

• Knowing what success actually means before starting a project

• Why expectations between a client and consultant need to be clear

• Using analytics instead of running a business purely on vibes 😂

• Designing a business around your priorities and family

• Why social media works best when people can actually get to know you

• Learning from the risks and imperfect decisions that come with entrepreneurship

Jenn also talks about building a business that works around real life. That might mean meetings from the car, kids nearby, voice notes instead of perfectly organized emails, or finding a completely different way to get the job done.

Basically, business, but make it human.

🌐 Website: we-are-coming.com

📸 Instagram: @wearecoming.biz

💼 LinkedIn: Jenn Wisegarver

📘 Facebook: We Are Coming

Local Bella is about the people, business owners, creatives, moms and community builders doing interesting things right in our own backyard.

Real conversations. Real businesses. Very little pretending we have everything figured out.

If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, comment and share it with a neighbor.

Basically, hit all the buttons. 😂

See you around town. ❤️