Our Mission
What North & Bloom Stands For
We’re here to help businesses grow through connection, clarity, and confidence.
without the sales funnels or pressure. Our mission is simple: bring together tools, templates, and real-world strategies in a space where business owners and creative entrepreneurs can get honest answers, learn from shared experience, and move forward faster.
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We’ve Been in the Trenches
We know what it’s like to juggle customers, cash flow, and chaos while trying to keep the vision alive. Because we’ve done it ourselves.
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We Tackle the Messy Middle
We’re not just about the start or the finish. We help you navigate the in-between with practical steps, guidance, and encouragement.
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We Show Up With You
We don’t just hand you tools and walk away. We’re there in the community, answering questions, celebrating wins, and problem-solving alongside you.
Helping small businesses grow through shared tools, honest conversations, and community.
Real People. Real Experience. Real Support.
Meet The Team
Laurel Jenkins
Laurel is the founder of Emporium 23, a thriving retail brand known for its soul, style, and community impact. But her true gift lies in helping others build businesses that feel just as aligned.
Before launching her own storefront, Laurel spent years in corporate retail, where she mastered the metrics, margin sheets, and behind the scenes strategy it takes to run a profitable business. She understands the numbers, but also knows they don’t tell the whole story.
With over a decade of hands-on experience growing a purpose driven brand from scratch, Laurel brings both practical wisdom and deep empathy to every consulting session. She’s walked through burnout, built systems from chaos, figured out what sells (and what doesn’t), and created a space where creativity and cash flow can thrive together.
Now, she helps other shop owners, makers, and dreamers cut through the noise, clarify their vision, and build retail businesses that actually work without losing what matters most. From vendor sourcing to brand storytelling, event strategy to customer experience, Laurel offers real-world insight and heart centered guidance that meets you right where you are.
If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next step. Laurel’s been there. And she’s exactly the kind of guide you want in your corner.
Andrew Walker
Business Strategist and Systems Architect
If Laurel is the soul, Andrew is the spine. With a sharp mind for systems and a heart for people, Andrew brings structure, strategy, and sustainable growth models to the small business table.
With over 15 years as a seasoned entrepreneur and Founder and Creative Director of the KANSO creative, Andrew has helped dozens of businesses refine their operations, streamline their marketing, and scale their impact without burning out. His specialty? Cutting through chaos to build clarity turning scattered ideas into strategic action plans, and translating big dreams into everyday results.
Where Laurel brings creative insight and retail-rooted wisdom, Andrew ensures that behind every inspired idea is a rock-solid system ready to support it. From branding and SEO to operations and client communication, Andrew helps small business owners feel empowered and equipped.
He’s not here to give fluff. He’s here to help you figure out what’s not working and fix it. With equal parts candor and compassion, Andrew is the person you call when you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start running a business that truly works.
Barbara Bechtel
Creative Strategist and Brand Storyteller
Barbara is the quiet force that turns big ideas into clear, compelling brands. With decades of experience in retail operations, creative direction, and small-business development, she helps makers and shop owners shape their vision into something cohesive, marketable, and truly their own. She blends artistic instinct with practical systems, giving small businesses the structure they need without killing the creative spark.
Her specialty is the messy middle, the part of business where inspiration meets overwhelm. Barbara guides entrepreneurs through that space with grounded strategy, thoughtful storytelling, and simple, repeatable workflows that make growth feel achievable instead of chaotic. She knows every business has a meaningful story at its center, and she’s committed to helping you share yours with clarity, confidence, and intention.
If you're ready to bring your brand into focus, refine your message, or build a story that actually resonates, Barbara’s the person you want in your corner.
Dereck Sherrill
Creative Builder & Operational Backbone
If Andrew is the system and Laurel is the soul, Dereck is the hands building, refining, and making things actually work. With a background that spans firefighting, custom manufacturing, and e-commerce. Dereck brings a rare blend of grit, strategy, and no-BS execution to every project.
He’s the founder of Little River Customs, a brand known for bold design, high-quality gear, and a fiercely loyal following, especially among firefighters and tradespeople. What started in a garage as a side hustle turned into a streamlined, multi-channel business with nationwide reach. And it didn’t happen by accident.
Dereck knows what it takes to build something from the ground up when you're juggling late-night orders, customer questions, inconsistent margins, and a to do list that never ends. He’s tested every tool, cracked every workaround, and lived the hard lessons most business owners face in year one (and year five).
Whether he’s optimizing workflows, coaching someone through their first Shopify launch, or helping a brand stand out in a crowded space, Dereck brings clarity, speed, and a deep understanding of what actually drives results.
No ego. No overcomplication. Just smart strategy, straight answers, and a relentless focus on helping good ideas become real, profitable businesses.
If you’re overwhelmed by all the moving parts, or just need someone who can help you cut through the noise. Dereck’s the one you want in your corner when it’s go time.
