The Power of Local Partnerships for Growing Your Business with Kim Rusyn

You don't need the perfect business plan before you start. Sometimes you need to put the idea into the world, pay attention to what happens, and be willing to change the plan as you go.

In this episode of Modern Marketing Made Simple, I sit down with Kim Rusyn, founder of The Milkstains Collective, a curated social community helping moms with young children make connections, discover local businesses, and ultimately find their village.

Kim shares how the idea began during her own maternity leaves, when she found herself craving more opportunities to get out, connect with other moms, and spend time in spaces that actually felt welcoming to women with babies and young children.

What started as an idea she worked on in small pockets of time eventually became The Milkstains Collective, and within just a few months, Kim has built a growing community alongside a network of local businesses and partners.

We talk about what it looks like to launch before everything is figured out, why Kim isn't afraid to change her original business model, and how listening to what her members actually want and watching how they behave has helped her make better decisions about what to build next.

We also dive into:

→ Turning a problem you've personally experienced into a business idea
→ Why you don't need everything figured out before you launch
→ Using customer behaviour and feedback to shape your offers
→ Why your original business model doesn't have to be your forever model
→ Creating strategic partnerships that benefit everyone involved
→ How collaboration can introduce your business to highly relevant new audiences
→ Why the growth strategy you expect to work isn't always the one that does
→ Creating a community where people participate instead of simply consume
→ Staying connected to your original vision while allowing the plan to change
→ Why listening to your customers can be one of your most valuable business strategies

Whether you're sitting on a business idea, building something new, or realizing that what you've already created might need to evolve, Kim's story is a great reminder that you don't have to know exactly what the finished version of your business will look like before you begin.

Start with the vision, listen to the people you're serving, and be willing to build the rest as you go.

Connect with Kim:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/milkstainscollective