Plainfield Entrepreneur Starts Small Business Talk Show

Photo: From left, guests Felicity Joy of Savvy Services, Stefanie Rock from Favor the Earth, Franklin Delano Rivera II of V2M2 Group and "Business Water Cooler" host Lesa Zonsius chat about small business. Photo courtesy of Lesa Zonsius.

Plainfield resident Lesa Zonsius knows all about starting her own home business. 18 years ago she began ZonCom Productions, a multimedia company that specializes in photography and video.

And with starting her own business, she knows all the stress, headaches and sleepless nights that can come with it.

But she doesn’t want everyone to have to go through that. So in January she started her own Internet talk show, “The Business Water Cooler,” that will help people just starting out with their own home business find others to network with and get information from. The tagline for her show is “Let’s help each other grow.”

“I’ve always wanted to offer a platform for fellow entrepreneurs to have … to gain some insight on how to grow or start their business and also share some personal stories so they don’t feel alone,” Zonsius said.

When she first started, Zonsius said she was unaware of how to connect with people not only on a personal level, but a professional one, as well. However, over the years that’s changed and she’s grown more confident. Zonsius wants to share that knowledge with others.

“It’s an educational support system for people,” she said.

Since starting her show, she’s had a business coach, personal coach, graphic designer, social media representative, a wellness consultant, chiropractor, massage therapist and a personal fitness trainer. And she’s got a list of other people who are wanting to come on the show.

The shows are produced twice a month at Rasmussen College in Romeoville. Right now, they’re only available to watch through the talk show’s Facebook page, but a YouTube channel is in the works. The shows usually tape for 45 minutes, but are edited down to an easily-watchable 8-minute segment.

The guests on the show aren’t just Plainfield residents, either. They hail from cities all across the suburbs.

“It’s a good diverse mix of locations. We’ve got Wheaton, Carol Stream, North Aurora, some in Plainfield, some in Naperville, one in Channahon. We’ve got a good variety of people,” Zonsius said.

While the talk show focuses mainly on small, home-based businesses, Zonsius isn’t disregarding those who own a brick-and-mortar store. She plans to take her show to stores so guests can mingle and network with those who have taken the next step with their business.

“We all can learn from each other, big or small, and that’s something that could help the people who want to move forward and take the next step,” Zonsius said.

But it’s not just small business owners who can benefit from her show. Zonsius also hires interns from Illinois Media School to work behind the scenes, giving them experience with operating cameras, lighting and other aspects.

“They also can hear the guests talk about how they’re growing their business, so it’s like a win-win,” Zonsius said.

The next episode of “The Business Water Cooler” will be shot at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, and may be aired live. Guests include Eric Marsaglia of Northern Insurance, Jeff Bishop of Bishop Financial Solutions and Colleen Sawatzky of Virtual Shoebox.

“We’re trying to do it live so people can interact with us on Facebook and ask questions through the comments section,” she said.

If you think you’ve got something to contribute regarding small businesses and would like to appear on her show, you can reach out to Zonsius via her Facebook page.