home improvement Archives - Business RadioX ®

Elevating Spaces with Ashley Sasher, Bloomin’ Blinds

October 6, 2025 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Elevating Spaces with Ashley Sasher, Bloomin' Blinds

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Elevating Spaces with Ashley Sasher, Bloomin’ Blinds (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 906)

From corporate marketing to becoming North Fulton’s “Shady Lady,” Ashley Sasher has built a thriving local business that helps homeowners and companies transform their spaces. As the owner of Bloomin’ Blinds, Ashley shares how her background in branding and storytelling shaped her approach to building a service business focused on beauty, efficiency, and trust.

In this conversation with North Fulton Business Radio host John Ray, Ashley talks about her transition from 22 years in corporate marketing to entrepreneurship, why window treatments are about more than just aesthetics, and how they improve comfort, energy efficiency, and productivity. She explains the rise of motorized and smart-home coverings, what sets Bloomin’ Blinds apart through its repair services and personal touch, and how small design details can make a big difference in how a room feels and functions.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

Ashley Sasher shares her transition from 22 years in corporate marketing to entrepreneurship with Bloomin’ Blinds.
She explains how window treatments enhance comfort, energy efficiency, and home value while offering aesthetic appeal.
Ashley discusses the rise of smart-home and motorized options and why repairs help set her company apart.
She highlights how Bloomin’ Blinds’ family ownership, personal service, and community connection have fueled its local success.

North Fulton Business Radio host John Ray with Ashley and Keith Sasher, Bloomin' Blinds — **North Fulton Business Radio host John Ray with Ashley and Keith Sasher, Bloomin’ Blinds**

Topics Discussed in This Episode

00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
01:50 Bloomin’ Blinds: Services and Offerings
02:58 Ashley’s Journey: From Corporate Marketing to Entrepreneurship
03:49 The Importance of Window Treatments
04:31 Choosing Bloomin’ Blinds: Unique Selling Points
05:31 Trends and Innovations in Window Treatments
08:30 Commercial Solutions and Benefits
19:14 Customer Success Stories and Testimonials
20:04 Conclusion and Contact Information
21:11 Final Announcements

Ashley Sasher, Bloomin’ Blinds of Cumming and Johns Creek

Ashley Sasher is the owner of Bloomin’ Blinds of Cumming and Johns Creek, Georgia, proudly serving residents and businesses across Cumming, Alpharetta, Ball Ground, Dawsonville, and Johns Creek.

She launched the business in August 2025 with the goal of bringing premium window treatment solutions, repairs, and motorization directly to customers through convenient in-home and in-office consultations. With more than 20 years of executive-level experience in marketing, brand building, customer experience, and community relations, Sasher has a proven track record of driving growth for organizations ranging from entrepreneurial ventures to complex enterprises. She has led initiatives in brand storytelling, product integrations, and partner and vendor relationships, all skills that uniquely position her to deliver a personalized, professional experience for her customers.

By combining her business expertise with her love for design and creating beautiful spaces, Sasher helps families and businesses enhance their environments with custom blinds, shades, shutters, draperies, and patio solutions from trusted brands such as Hunter Douglas, Alta Window Fashions, Norman Window Fashions, Carole Fabrics, Horizons Window Fashions, Insolroll, Graber, Eclipse, Universal Screens, and Sol-Lux.

Deeply rooted in the North Atlanta community for more than two decades, Sasher is passionate about serving her neighbors through a family-owned, female-led business that values quality, integrity, and customer care.

She is a member of the Window Coverings Association of America and actively involved in the Forsyth County, Dawson County, and Johns Creek Chambers of Commerce. Sasher and her husband of 19 years live in Cumming with their three children, where they enjoy being part of the vibrant local community.

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $17 billion in assets and more than 180 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from each banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way to better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio

If you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.

Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their market, community, and profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.

John Ray, host of North Fulton Business Radio, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, host of *North Fulton Business Radio* and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the author of the five-star rated book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.

Lessons in Pricing, Value, and Funk, with Chris Lalomia, The Trusted Toolbox

February 5, 2025 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Lessons in Pricing, Value, and Funk, with Chris Lalomia, The Trusted Toolbox

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Lessons in Pricing, Value, and Funk, with Chris Lalomia, The Trusted Toolbox (The Price and Value Journey, Episode 121)

In this episode of The Price and Value Journey, host John Ray chats with Chris Lalomia, owner of The Trusted Toolbox, the largest handyman service in Atlanta and in the top three nationwide. Chris discusses his journey from a successful corporate career to entrepreneurship, highlighting the challenges and insights he gained from starting his business from scratch. They discuss the importance of self-awareness, overcoming funks, and the impact of pricing and value on business success. Chris also highlights the significance of mentorship, setting the right prices, and recognizing the value delivered to customers. His insights include the necessity of understanding one’s business costs, process development, and customer relationships, culminating in the personal growth and business achievements he’s made.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton affiliate of Business RadioX®.

Chris Lalomia, Founder and CEO, The Trusted Toolbox

Chris Lalomia is the CEO of The Trusted Toolbox. He also hosts the Small Business Safari podcast and is the author of the book From the Zoo to the Wild: Your Guide to Entrepreneurial Freedom and Wealth.

Chris Lalomia is a successful entrepreneur and change leader who has built on his experience working with the largest companies in America to start his own business from scratch. He brings his unique style to leadership to build a culture of professionalism in the blue-collar world of home renovations. He left the corporate zoo, ventured into the entrepreneurial wild and started The Trusted Toolbox: Home Repair and Projects in 2008. YES, he started a business right before the Great Recession, so he admits that timing the market is not his strength. He survived through that time and has grown his business into a multimillion-dollar handyman and remodeling company, which has won numerous awards in Atlanta, GA.

Chris is originally from Jackson, MI, and he uses his hand to show where he lives. He went to college and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. His path to business ownership was similar to most people’s journey to their current position… spinning and winding… His first engineering job was at Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems making airplane parts, but soon realizing he needed to add some other business skills to his resume, he joined Accenture and began working with large banks to help them merge, which led him to SunTrust (now Truist), where he transformed the commercial loan operations department… That meandering path led him to leap into starting his own business, The Trusted Toolbox, in 2008.

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

The Trusted Toolbox

The Trusted Toolbox is a leading provider of professional handyman services and home remodeling solutions in the Metro Atlanta area. With over 15 years of experience serving over 16,000 homeowners, the company specializes in a wide range of home repair and improvement projects, including kitchen and bathroom remodels, basement renovations, deck repairs, door replacements, and wood rot repair.

Committed to delivering exceptional results with a customer-centric approach, The Trusted Toolbox employs a team of skilled professionals who are fully insured, background checked, and dedicated to ensuring 100% customer satisfaction. The company’s local expertise, efficiency, and attention to detail have earned it numerous awards and accolades, solidifying its reputation as a trusted partner for homeowners in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Athens, and the surrounding areas.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | X (Twitter)

Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:00 Introduction and Welcome to Chris Lalomia
00:50 Corporate Life to Entrepreneurship
01:29 The Zoo Metaphor
02:44 Challenges of Leaving Corporate
07:27 Mindset Shifts and Skill Development
16:14 Mentorship and Networking
21:52 Pricing Strategies and Value
29:32 Customer Willingness to Pay for Convenience
29:42 Understanding Millennial and Gen X Mindsets
30:49 The Shift from DIY to Outsourcing
33:41 Training Employees to Reflect Company Values
35:39 The Importance of Reviews and Customer Feedback
40:17 Overcoming Business Challenges and Personal Funk
51:53 Future Goals and Business Expansion
54:59 Conclusion and Contact Information

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional service providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire, and trying to do all that at pricing that reflects the value we deliver.

If you feel like you’re working too hard for too little money in your solo or small firm practice, this show is for you. Even if you’re reasonably happy with your practice, you’ll hear ways to improve both your bottom line and the mindset you bring to your business.

The show is hosted and produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. The show can also be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray, Author of The Generosity Mindset and Host of "The Price and Value Journey" — John Ray, Author of *The Generosity Mindset* and Host of *The Price and Value Journey*

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include business coaching and advisory work, as well as advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, coaches, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

In his other business, John is a podcast show host and producer and owns the North Fulton (Georgia) affiliate of Business RadioX®. John and his team work with B2B professionals to create and conduct their own podcast using The Generosity Mindset™ Method: building and deepening relationships in a non-salesy way that translates into revenue for their business.

John is also the host of North Fulton Business Radio. With over 800 shows and having featured over 1,200 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in its region like no one else.

John’s book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices

John is the #1 national best-selling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.

If you are a professional services provider, your goal is to do transformative work for clients you love working with and get paid commensurate with the value you deliver to those clients. While negative mindsets can inhibit your growth, adopting a different mindset, The Generosity Mindset™, can replace those self-limiting beliefs. The Generosity Mindset enables you to diagnose and communicate the value you deliver to clients and, in turn, more effectively price to receive a portion of that value.

Whether you’re a consultant, coach, marketing or branding professional, business advisor, attorney, CPA, or work in virtually any other professional services discipline, your content and technical expertise are not proprietary. What’s unique, though, is your experience and how you synthesize and deliver your knowledge. What’s special is your demeanor or the way you deal with your best-fit clients. What’s invaluable is how you deliver great value by guiding people through massive changes in their personal lives and in their businesses that bring them to a place they never thought possible.

The combination of all these elements is quite different for you compared to any other service provider in your industry. Therein lies your value, but it’s not the value you see. It’s the value your best-fit customers see in you.

If pricing your value feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar to you, this book will teach you why putting a price on the value your clients perceive and identify serves both them and you, and you’ll learn the factors involved in getting your price right.

The book is available at all major physical and online book retailers worldwide. Follow this link for further details.

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Butch Bennett – Builders Surplus Gainesville

June 18, 2023 by Rose

North Georgia Business Radio

Butch Bennett - Builders Surplus Gainesville

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Butch Bennett, owner of Builders Surplus, joins host Phil Bonelli for one of the most down-to-earth conversations ever about building a great family-run business, results-driven marketing and technology, and the transition from micro-management to effective delegation and empowerment.

Builders Surplus offers the best deals on a large variety of building materials, including interior and exterior doors, windows, lumber, roofing materials, siding, moulding, flooring, hardware, door locks, and much, much more. If you’re thinking of doing some work on your home this summer, you’ve got to check them out!

LIVE from WORKBENCHcon 2022: Anika of Anika’s DIY Life

March 22, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

LIVE from WORKBENCHcon 2022: Anika of Anika's DIY Life

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LIVE from WORKBENCHcon 2022: Anika of Anika’s DIY Life (Organization Conversation, Episode 8)

Anika had no experience when she picked up a power tool eight years ago to make her daughter some furniture. Anika, owner of Anika’s DIY Life sat down with Richard Grove at WORKBENCHcon 2022 to introduce herself, share how she got into the DIY community, and more. Organization Conversation is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Anika, Anika’s DIY Life

Anika grew up in India. Growing up, she was always crafty – the handmade card, macrame, embroidery, and a little crafts kind of person. She had ZERO exposure to power tools or DIY – it wasn’t really a thing in India.

Anika came to the United States 18 years ago for grad school. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, got married, and got a job.

Eight years ago, on a quest for some cute furniture for her daughter, Anika stumbled onto the world of DIY blogs! She realized she could do this! She picked up a power drill for the very first time and built her first project.

Connect with Anika: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

About Organization Conversation

Organization Conversation features interviews with movers and shakers in storage and organization, from professional organizers to the creative and talented Brand Ambassadors who use Wall Control products every day. You’ll hear tips, tricks and how-tos for storage and organization, as well as receive first access to Wall Control promotions. We talk with our suppliers and partners to give you a look behind the scenes at how we operate, what makes our family-owned and operated brand tick, and some of the fun and interesting insights that go into making our business run. We love our guests, as they are engaging and entertaining with interesting experiences to share. By focusing on those guests and the amazing stories they tell, we hope you will be enriched and find your time listening to the Organization Conversation podcast as time well spent.

Organization Conversation is hosted by Richard Grove, and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and others.

About Richard Grove

Richard Grove, Host, *Organization Conversation*

Richard Grove‘s background is in engineering but what he enjoys most is brand building through relationships and creative marketing. Richard began his career with the Department of Defense as an engineer on the C-5 Galaxy Engineering Team based out of Warner Robins. While Richard found this experience both rewarding and fulfilling, he always knew deep down that he wanted to return to the small family business that originally triggered his interest in engineering.

Richard came to work for the family business, Dekalb Tool & Die, in 2008 as a Mechanical Engineer. At the time Wall Control was little more than a small ‘side hustle’ for Dekalb Tool & Die to try to produce some incremental income. There were no “Wall Control” employees, just a small warehouse with a single tool and die maker that would double as an “order fulfillment associate” on the occasion that the original WallControl.com website, which Richard’s grandmother built, pulled in an order.

In 2008, it became apparent that for the family business to survive they were going to have to produce their own branded product at scale to ensure jobs remained in-house and for the business to continue to move forward. Richard then turned his attention from tool and die to Wall Control to attempt this necessary pivot and his story with Wall Control began. Since that time, Richard has led Wall Control to significant growth while navigating two recessions.

Connect with Richard:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

About Wall Control

The Wall Control story began in 1968 in a small tool & die shop just outside Atlanta, Georgia. The first of three generations began their work in building a family-based US manufacturer with little more than hard work and the American Dream.

Over the past 50+ years, this family business has continued to grow and expand from what was once a small tool & die shop into an award-winning US manufacturer of products ranging from automobile components to satellite panels and now, the best wall-mounted tool storage system available today, Wall Control.

The Wall Control brand launched in 2003 and is a family-owned and operated business that not only produces a high-quality American Made product but sees the entire design, production, and distribution process happen under their own roof in Tucker, Georgia. Under that same roof, three generations of American Manufacturing are still hard at work creating the best tool storage products available today.

Connect with Wall Control:

Company website | Facebook | Instagram

Doug Ireland with Freeland Painting

April 3, 2019 by Mike

Case In Point

Doug Ireland with Freeland Painting

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Doug Ireland/Freeland Painting & Construction

The mission at Freeland Painting is to bring excellence to their clients through home repairs. Painting, roofing, and general renovations are not a unique business but Freeland Painting & Construction intends to be unique within this industry. They believe that their customer’s fulfillment and happiness is their ultimate goal and their only assignment. They believe that only by serving their customers FIRST can they then serve their employees, suppliers, and families.

Therapeutic Horticulture at the Arboretum, and MyAccessableHome

January 5, 2012 by angishields

Eugeria

Therapeutic Horticulture at the Arboretum, and MyAccessableHome

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Susan Morgan grew up in Tennessee where her love for horticulture started early on as her father was a horticulturalist. After graduating from the University of Tennesee with a B.S. in Horticulture, she went on to receive her M.S. in Plant Sciences with an emphasis in Public Horticulture. She recently received a certificate in Horticulture Therapy from the Horticulture Therapy Institute at Colorado State University and holds an International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London England.

Susan moved to Dallas when her husband’s job was relocated and has been at the Dallas Arboretum since 2007, where she is the Senior Manager of Therapeutic Horticulture. Prior to her work at the Dallas Arboretum, Susan was the assistant gardening editor for HGTV.com and Scripps Network. If you would like to contact Susan about her Horticulture Therapy programs at the Dallas Arboretum, you can reach her at 214-515-6595 or email her at smorgan@dallasarboretum.org.

Third-time guest Dara McMillan, LMSW, grew up in New York in a family of health care professionals. She received her Masters in Social Work from Boston University, and spent more than a decade as a social worker and a geriatric care coordinator. Dara moved to the Atlanta are in 1996. In her work as a social worker, Dara often observed clients in less than “accessible” living situations – either from a furniture placement perspective, or from a structural perspective. Dara and her husband Chuck are the owners of a unique company called My Accessable Home. Though there are a few other companies in the Atlanta area that specialize in renovations for seniors and disabled adults, their business is unique in that they bring a wholistic approach to the process. This is a great benefit to their clients as they truly understand both the physical and social needs of their clients and what will be needed to make their home safe to live in as they age. Dara will be hosting a free workshop in February together with Paige Joyner of CompliancePlus regarding federal HIPAA compliance. Additionally, you can see MyAccessableHome in “A Home For All Ages” at the Atlanta Home Show in March. Dara can be reached at (404) 274-1488 or visit them on the web at www.myaccessablehome.com.

We want to thank Griswold Special Care for sponsoring today’s show. Griswold Special Care has been a preferred provider of high quality, affordable in-home senior care in Dallas and Atlanta for 20 years.