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25. Jamie Taylor, Founder and CEO of Confetë
42 Plays17 days ago
Founder and CEO Jamie Taylor started Confetë with a single balloon garland for her niece in 2015. That one creation quickly ballooned (pun totally intended) into a thriving business, earning features on King 5’s Evening Magazine, New Day Northwest, and even The New York Times. But Jamie didn’t stop there. With a background in interior design and a knack for making people feel special, she launched Confetë Party Box, bringing high-end curated gift boxes and virtual party experiences to businesses of all sizes—including big names like Facebook and Microsoft. Join us as we discuss:
- Burnout & lessons you can get out of going through tough times.
- How anxiety led me to retrain my brain
- Going from almost bankrupt to generating over $300K in revenue
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Transcript
Introduction & Mission of the Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to Gritty is the New Pretty, where resilience meets real talk. I'm your host, Crystal, entrepreneur, leadership coach, change maker, and outdoor enthusiast.
00:00:15
Speaker
Join me as I sit down with powerhouse women leaders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who share their raw, unfiltered stories of success, struggle, and the grit it takes to make an impact.
00:00:27
Speaker
From navigating change to redefining success, we'll explore what it takes to rise, lead, and thrive. Expect raw conversations to fuel your journey, whether you're breaking down barriers in life or in business.
Redefining Success: Resilience Over Perfection
00:00:42
Speaker
We're redefining success, not by perfection, but by the strength it takes to rise again and again. Because in this space, gritty is the new pretty.
00:00:53
Speaker
Hit subscribe and let's get gritty with it.
Sponsor Highlight: Haybex Creative House
00:00:58
Speaker
This episode is sponsored by Haybex Creative House, founded by brand strategist Becky LaFranche, known for building crave-worthy brands that blend story, soul, and strategy.
00:01:10
Speaker
Explore the work at haybex.com.
Jamie's Journey: From Interior Design to CEO
00:01:15
Speaker
On this episode of Gritty is the New Pretty, we have Jamie, who went from interior design major to CEO of Confetti &
00:01:25
Speaker
balloons I feel like it just ends abruptly there, but a small business confetti that's been super successful and I'm really excited to get into what it's all about.
00:01:38
Speaker
So Jamie, why don't you tell us about yourself? Yeah. And I think that's totally my fault but as I like confuse you before we get started. but It's easily done. Easily done. Yeah. So, yeah,
00:01:53
Speaker
You said tell me more about myself. I'm sorry. more Yeah. Tell me about you. What do you want us to know? Tell us your story. Yeah, I mean, i started my business, gosh, eight years ago. And um it was funny, I just actually did an event where I had to kind of speak. And it was, um i was trying to, it was for a Women's International Day.
00:02:14
Speaker
And I was trying to give, it was kind of like, what am I wanting to like say to other women that are in the audience? It was funny. it was like my dream really started out incredibly simple. It was like, I really just wanted the freedom and flexibility to work for myself and to be able to take my son to school and to his activities without feeling like I had to make the, you know, hard decisions that a lot of people have to make between the two. And that's really what caused me to, um want to start my own business.
00:02:47
Speaker
And so tell us about your business. Tell us about confetti. Yeah.
The Birth of Confetti & Balloons
00:02:52
Speaker
Yeah, so we launched in 2017. And actually, when we first ah originally started, we were shipping ah celebratory gift boxes across the US. And the whole concept and idea was that for people who aren't very good at putting that stuff together, like we would be able to do that and have these Instagrammable parties.
00:03:12
Speaker
And so when we first launched that at the same time, i had done, um basically kind of a pilot of that program, uh, for my niece's graduation, I had done a balloon garland and I was one of the crazy people who was like, I'm going to quit my job and start this business and just like go full into it I was very confident in like the fact that I was going to make money. Yeah.
00:03:37
Speaker
Like immediately. and so ah quit my job to do that. And so um when I had done my niece's graduation, i had put up a balloon garland. And this was eight years ago before like organic balloon garlands were really a thing. Anybody really knew much about them. And somebody I had happened to post it and somebody messaged me and was like, hey, like how much would you charge to come and put that up for me?
00:04:00
Speaker
and do you do that? And at the time, like I had quit my job. was like, absolutely. Like i was, you know, you find any way to make money. And, um, that is what started the journey on the balloon side of our business.
00:04:14
Speaker
And honestly, like was not at all a part of the plan and all a part of the process, but it literally just like was wildfire and it took off and I always say this and it's even on our website, but I'm like, it blew up like pun intended. Like it literally blew up and it was kind of, um, crazy. And I just kind of like rolled with it and we kept kind of going and I was still at the same time pushing, um our gift boxes and trying to like get that out. And we're at this, at the time there were more party boxes.
00:04:49
Speaker
And then if you fast forward to 2020, um,
00:04:54
Speaker
Um, at that time, as that year came up, we were so busy with all these installations. And I was like, how should we even do this? Like box business anymore? Like I'm still buying product and we're doing these, uh, photo shoots and, um, marketing. This business is very different. Like where the balloons were very much like visual and word of mouth.
00:05:14
Speaker
Um, and so ah we were talking about in June and I say, we, at the time I had, three employees, And i was like, you know, come June, if we don't see an uptick in these party boxes, like maybe we just get rid of it and we don't do it anymore.
Creative Business Pivots During COVID-19
00:05:29
Speaker
um And we just focus on doing balloon installations in and events. And then, of course, March of 2020 happened. And everything came to a screeching halt and we're having a meeting and it was like, ah what can we do?
00:05:47
Speaker
what do we do? And, you know, we had a lot of like different, like funny ideas. We had these, we were shipping out these no boredom balloon bags. It's just funny when I think about it. So we were literally sending people just like healing, like, or not healing, but just balloons to inflate so that their kids could like toss them around and have fun with them. And, yeah,
00:06:08
Speaker
one of the things that we ended up doing was on our party box page. We kind of went back to that and we're like, what can we do with this? And the entire time we had the box business, there was a custom box option and somebody had filled out a form on our website that was like, Hey, I, my coworker is having a baby and we can't do her baby shower anymore. Like, are you able to put together a virtual party box and And that we can all like hop on and celebrate together. so it was like, of course we can. We had all these party supplies, like we were set up for this.
00:06:42
Speaker
And so we went through and kind of created a program of like what these party boxes would look like. And um eventually then put that virtual party box on our website.
00:06:54
Speaker
And that was the first time I really realized like the power of SEO and just like right timing. And like when people are searching for things, And that like just took off. And it was we were getting constant requests for virtual party boxes from fundraisers and people that really couldn't like get together anymore. like You still had a lot of nonprofits that needed to raise money, um but no longer could get together in person. And so they were figuring out different ways to like hold their events and still fundraise for their causes. and then
00:07:24
Speaker
But they just didn't want people to hop on ah Zoom call and it'd be boring. It was like, how do we bring the party to them? And that's kind of where the void that we started to fill. um And then we were lucky enough to get featured in the New York Times because we had done a graduation party box and they were writing a story about how people were celebrating during COVID and doing graduation. And so that was amazing. And I feel incredibly grateful that, um, that that happened during, you know, for us, like it was obviously during that time was very hard for a lot of people and everyone's just trying to figure out like what to do. And, um, and I do realize now that like we were at
00:08:06
Speaker
incredibly blessed to have some of these things that maybe be felt lucky. um i think it just was right timing. And um anyway, so that kind of, that took off for a long time. And then Fast forward a little bit past COVID and now you have this mix of like, okay, installs started to come back from balloons or gift box. The party boxes were slowing because people were getting back to doing in person and we kind of shifted our party box business to a little bit more gift focused with a party flair. And I feel like even, I mean, majority of the time when people are sending out gift boxes, like
00:08:48
Speaker
There's something to be celebrated. And so was like, how do we make these more gift focused, but still kind of have a nod to like our party um heritage, I guess, or how we originally started. And so that's our business today. We kind of still have two businesses. We do large scale luxury balloon installations.
00:09:08
Speaker
um And then we also are shipping out gift boxes across the U.S., mainly kind of focusing on um corporate gifting. Yeah.
00:09:17
Speaker
I think that you got to give yourself some more credit because it's not just luck. I mean, you had number one, a business that was fulfilling a need even before COVID hit.
00:09:34
Speaker
Then when COVID hit, you know, you took some time to think about how to pivot and you filled another need that was so huge in the community and and just in society to connect where we weren't able to connect.
00:09:50
Speaker
And you took advantage
Media Exposure & Business Growth
00:09:52
Speaker
of that. And, you know, that's where a lot of businesses become successful is you solve a problem. a problem that a lot of people have and you did. So I just want to say, i think it's more than luck. And I think um it's really clever. I love what you're doing. And um I am excited for the success that you've had on it.
00:10:15
Speaker
i mean, you were even on like New Day Northwest on TV. What was that like? Yeah. um So we've been on New Day Northwest twice now. And um it is a really it's actually really interesting because it's super nerve wracking. And then you kind of get on. It's not in front of a live audience. who Actually, I tell people that because I'm like, it actually makes things a little bit less nervous than if you're doing something in front of a live audience. But um honestly, it was it's a really...
00:10:45
Speaker
fun experience to be able to do to kind of see like how fast moving some of those like television shows are, um, and how it all is kind of laid out. But, um, definitely like incredibly grateful. The first time we were on there,
00:11:00
Speaker
um they had kind of contacted me out of the blue. And so that was definitely a very like unique experience. We were just on it again. And I decided to pitch them to come back on the show because we had launched our our DIY balloon garland kits. And of it was like, okay, well, we haven't been on here in seven years. like We kind of have some like new information to share. I thought it would be something like really fun for viewers that are viewing that are watching it as something that they would be able to do um But yeah, it's it's a really fun experience.
00:11:35
Speaker
I think that's awesome that you pitched it back to them later. And I think that's a good lesson for others to learn is when you have these connections and these opportunities to be on a magazine, be on a TV show,
00:11:52
Speaker
it doesn't necessarily have to be one and done. Like you can reach out to those groups again and say, Hey, I've got something super exciting. If your audience loved it before, do you want to update? I know I plan to do that with some of the Liz rock stuff.
00:12:08
Speaker
Um, when we get the wall launched is reaching out to all of the groups that put articles out and and Como even covered us. And I plan on reaching out and just saying, Hey,
00:12:18
Speaker
after 10 years, here's what we've done and we're finally doing it. Do you want to, you know, do a story on it? um So definitely want to share that message as don't like dismiss that as a one and only opportunity. Like you can reach out again. The worst they can say is no.
00:12:36
Speaker
Well, and honestly, ah too, I think persistence comes into play because so much of it has to do with, you know, whether depending, it doesn't matter like what media you're reaching out to, but it's right timing for like what they're looking for and that, and it fits. And that's why like the New York times, right? Like it fit with what we had going on and what they were writing about. And so and when I say persistence is because I had actually pitched them probably about a year ago, trying to do the same thing. Maybe it was a year or two ago and I heard nothing.
00:13:08
Speaker
And so I think it's like, and not taking that and being like, Oh, they must not want me. It might just not have been right timing. It might not have been the right like audience at that time. And so,
00:13:20
Speaker
Um, I think it's like when you have something to share or you have something new, it's just like, you're kind of just like reminding people like, Hey, this might be something that's of interest to your audience. And I am always like a big supporter of like mutually beneficial relationships.
00:13:35
Speaker
And, and that's really what it comes down to is like, is this something that is mutually beneficial, something that will work for your audience? Um, and do I have something to like provide to them that would be, you know, great. And obviously like getting in front of anybody,
00:13:50
Speaker
um you know, is good PR, but I've definitely been trying to like dabble more in like, how do you get more ever since New York times? It was like, I saw the power of what something like that can do. And then it was like, okay, how do I manufacture more of this?
00:14:05
Speaker
Yeah. So when, after the New York times, what happened? Like, tell us about how that impact made you feel and how it affected your business.
00:14:17
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, what I learned was, it was ah really crazy because like literally when you, and I started really learning a lot about like, I don't want to go too far into like techie, but I learned so much about like backlinking and how important the weight of certain backlinks and how like just getting featured on the New York Times because of the weight of that of who they are jumps you up on Google.
00:14:43
Speaker
um So when people were searching for virtual party boxes, like we were number one. Um, because they had written about us and it was, and it was, and I knew that it was directly impacted by the New York times because every request that we were getting was coming from the East coast.
00:14:59
Speaker
Um, and so it was just a really interesting thing to kind of see that impact and how it like was directly, um, affecting like people finding our business.
00:15:10
Speaker
Yeah, i never thought of that, that that would put you at the Google. I mean, I assume you would get followers, you would get um references, people would, you know, come to you. But I didn't think that, oh, because they're so big and so well known that now you're at the top of the Google search. That's incredible.
00:15:31
Speaker
It's good information to have. Yeah. I learned so much about like Google and backlinking and kind of looking at that. Cause I think that's a lot of like a big question that a lot of people try to, um, right. Like how do you get number one on the search engine? And there's lots of different ways that you pay.
00:15:47
Speaker
Um, but getting like free PR is probably the the biggest one. And I learned a lot of different ways of potentially how to get that. But then like, and then it's like, how do you get some of those bigger ones? And it's so funny because I think we're all get scared when you think of like New York times or Forbes or whatever, while all the people within those are just regular people and they're all looking for new content. I mean, when you think about the amount of content that's put out on a regular basis, like they're needing fresh new content, it just needs to match like with what you're doing with what they're trying to write about.
00:16:21
Speaker
Right. Like the timing and and whatnot, for sure. Yeah. And just some research to find out like who's writing these and how do I get in front of them? And I mean, it's not necessarily easy, but, or what does Mel Robbins say?
00:16:33
Speaker
It's not hard, but it's simple. Right. What'd you say? It is hard. I mean, I don't know, but that makes sense. One my favorite things, because it's so, it's so good. Cause it's literally like, it's not, it's not,
00:16:48
Speaker
it's It's hard, but it's simple, something that. Anyways. Let me All right. I'm going to look it up. I'm going to Google it right now. I got to know. um
00:17:01
Speaker
Let's see if I can find it. Changing your life is simple, but it's not easy. Is that? Yes. Yeah. And she says that a lot with a lot of things, right? Like it's simple, but it's not easy. That's exactly what it is.
00:17:15
Speaker
So a lot of things right are simple, but it's just not, it's not necessarily easy um to do it because it talks like, you know, it's just a lot of like repetition and, um and persistence.
00:17:27
Speaker
Yeah. And not taking no response or no personally. Right. yeah Like, okay, great. Um, maybe next time I'll reach out in the future or let me know if you change your mind or if something comes up, you just never know.
00:17:42
Speaker
Um, and I think sometimes, you know, we can get wrapped up in that rejection a little bit, but, um, you know, it is what it is. Yeah. It'll happen.
00:17:55
Speaker
Yeah. So in your business, you ended up going from almost bankruptcy to earning almost over
Overcoming Financial Struggles & Burnout
00:18:05
Speaker
300K. Tell us about that experience and how you did that.
00:18:11
Speaker
Yeah, so mind mine hit 2022 was definitely like a very hard year. I think all around financially, it was very hard and it was a year of, it was almost like you, we'd, I'd made it through COVID. I'd made it through all of that.
00:18:31
Speaker
And I feel like it was two things like financially, it was kind of a hard year. And then two I completely hit burnout and,
00:18:43
Speaker
And I think like when I was talking to you earlier about was like, we had done boxes and then we had done balloons and it was kind of like, and now we were doing both. And it felt like a lot, a lot of managing because they're two very different businesses and very different in terms of how you market them. And the balloons require a lot of labor. And um and so I definitely was ah mix of burnout. And then you add on like during COVID, we had taken out an idle loan to stay afloat.
00:19:11
Speaker
And, um ah we had gotten, because the boxes were doing so well, it was like, we need a warehouse. We're going to like move into this space. I signed this five-year lease and moved in. And then all of a sudden it was like the beginning of 2022, I believe it was, it was like all of a sudden boxes, like kind of came to almost a stop. It felt like and the balloons were still kind of going, but not great. And it was just, it was a moment of like, so we just talked about all that stuff that happened to me.
00:19:41
Speaker
i felt like all that happened, but I didn't really know what I did to get it. Exactly. And this was after your exposure on the New York times and the new day. So this is, you know, you kind of went way up and now you hit this lull. Okay. Yeah.
00:19:58
Speaker
Yep. And really what was happening was the market shifted. The market shifted and people were not doing virtual party boxes anymore. And now we're in a gift box um world where it's there's a little there's more competition within that.
00:20:13
Speaker
And, and then right, like visibility was almost like nobody was searching for virtual party boxes anymore. And so it was really just learning um really like how one, how do you get that back? Like, what are some systems and processes to put in a place? What does marketing look like?
00:20:31
Speaker
Um, but honestly it felt like I had ran a marathon, like just staying afloat. And so that's when I really felt like I had hit burnout. All of a sudden it was like, we have were really high and then getting this warehouse, doing this stuff. And then it was like, everything came to a stop and it's amazing how quick debt can like rack up.
00:20:49
Speaker
hmm. so fast. And i remember it feeling just like heavy. And I was like, I cannot, I was like, I cannot have this debt. It felt too constricting.
00:21:00
Speaker
And I but had a battle with that. Cause I'm like plenty of businesses have debt, but it was like, but it's not for me. I was like, I need a breather. Cause I felt very like, um, like I was doing things that I didn't necessarily want to do, but I did them because I financially needed them.
00:21:17
Speaker
um But I do feel like a lot of good came through that time because it was really interesting. Like i was telling, like I wanted to run away from my life so bad. i was like, I told my husband, i'm like, let's sell our house.
00:21:30
Speaker
I can pay off all the debt. We can just get out of here and I can be done with it. And, but I also knew that that wasn't really an option and it wasn't going to solve anything.
00:21:41
Speaker
And I had even thought about going back and getting a job. Like, is this worth it? Do I, you know, like building a business is really tough. Um, there's a lot more behind the scenes that people don't necessarily see.
00:21:55
Speaker
um It looks like it's all like fun and glamorous, especially with like installs, right? Like it looks like for fun, and we're just like partying the whole time. um But there's definitely a lot of like keeping that going and how do you continue to get business and um and so.
00:22:13
Speaker
when that all happened, i it was interesting because I wanted to get a job, but I knew i could like feel it inside. It was like, not, nothing is going, that's not going to change your problems. and And that's not going to make you any happier. And I remember thinking like, you just need to sit in this uncomfort and, and figure this out and not, and not just run.
00:22:37
Speaker
which is what we all naturally want to do when we're uncomfortable, right? It's just like, I need to do something else. Like whether it's like start a new business or like go back and maybe change your career. And there was just something inside of me that was like, just sit here and and wait. And so...
00:22:51
Speaker
it felt like dragging myself literally every day, but I got out of bed every day. I did work. I actually started cold calling like past people, like, do you need installs? Like just trying to figure out how to drum up the business again. And like, what do I need to do for the boxes? And, um so that was kind of did, I felt like I was literally dragging myself.
00:23:15
Speaker
Um, and then, things started to like slowly, but surely kind of come back. I also learned during that time, I did not have very good boundary set. I worked all the time and it didn't matter. And I, and I just finally realized that I was no longer doing things that brought me joy, which is why I was feeling a lot of burnout.
00:23:36
Speaker
Uh, and I needed to just cut off work at a certain time and just disconnect from it. And so that was what I ended up kind of diving into was like, I want to do more things and even installations that like brought me joy.
00:23:51
Speaker
And it wasn't just waiting for, you balloon jobs that other people wanted me to do because innately, like I love creating and designing and doing all of that. And so i kind of started diving into that a little bit, doing small projects around the house and like decorating. And it almost, it was interesting. It, it really like, I felt like brought me back to life.
00:24:16
Speaker
Um, and then one of the things that you and I had like talked about earlier on was like how I mentioned like, um, anxiety is good. um we, uh, during that time, like my heart would be like all day long. I was like on the verge of crying every day.
00:24:35
Speaker
um I had so much, like my heart was like racing all the time. And I remember being like, I need to go for a run. i was like, I have to run because was like, if my heart is going to feel like this, it needs to be because I did something and not just because like I sat here, but I had a lot of like angst that I needed to get out. And so through all of that, like i ended up really...
00:25:00
Speaker
adding like more consistency into my life. So I started like exercising a lot more.
Managing Stress: Personal Routines & Exercise
00:25:04
Speaker
um i started meditating, which I think actually was a huge, that was actually a huge way of like quieting my brain, quieting some of the negative thoughts.
00:25:15
Speaker
um I started to journal every day and writing out like what I was grateful for the things that were going well, because I was focusing so much on what wasn't going well, but I wasn't really paying attention to all the good things that actually were happening. And yeah,
00:25:28
Speaker
or still happening during that time. And so it was just really amazing to see like how powerful your brain can be, because it was funny when I looked back and I think I had mentioned like, it felt like financially we hadn't had a great year and and it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was.
00:25:45
Speaker
Uh, and so all of these things kind of became a lot bigger in my mind than what they actually were. And so starting that morning routine, starting to work out and all of, all of that was due to anxiety and finding ways to like mitigate it and get control of it. And, um, and that was one of the other things I learned too, it was like,
00:26:06
Speaker
Stop trying to actually control it. Like just let yourself feel the anxiety and then it actually will pass through a lot faster than you like constricting it and holding on to it. Yeah, I used to run before I had kids um and I did find that.
00:26:26
Speaker
on this entrepreneurial journey and small business journey, there are so many stressors. There's, you know, things that are on your mind and it's easy to get caught up in it. Cause it is like, I say, it's your baby, you know, it is, it is your baby. And I noticed that even in my normal job to issues at work or whatever, when I would run I would be thinking about it, of course, because it's on my mind. I'm thinking about it all the time. I'm thinking about it when I go to bed.
00:26:58
Speaker
But there's something about when I would be running and I'd be thinking about it and kind of getting those endorphins to where. By the time I was done with my run, i was just like, I could take a breath and I'm like, it's not that big of a deal.
00:27:15
Speaker
It's not that big of a deal. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to let it go. i was able to really physically kind of release it through the exercise. And it's something for me and everybody has their thing, meditation, yoga, whatever works for you to get that release can be so valuable. I mean, I definitely.
00:27:36
Speaker
After I have this baby, i want to start running, you know, build myself up to do that because it is such a good stress reliever. It's good for you mentally. I feel like I could I could think clearly, too.
00:27:49
Speaker
It was very strange. um So I do see the value in that. Yeah. trying to just get through, especially as a small business owner, some of the challenges that you face. Yeah.
00:28:01
Speaker
And I think like you said too, it's like finding something that is yours that you enjoy doing. And I think that meditation, I think a lot of people think of meditation as it um sit down and close your eyes, but meditation can actually be, is working, can be working out for a lot of people, right? It's just when you kind of get a place where like you can shut your brain off and you can focus and you kind of come inward.
00:28:25
Speaker
And that I think is um something that you're right. Like we all kind of forget to do that, especially when you're like hyped up, you're starting something and it's like, I don't care. I'll work all hours of the day. This is so exciting. And then like, eventually it's like, but it's not sustainable long-term. And if you can kind of set those boundaries earlier on, you're better off,
00:28:46
Speaker
it's more sustainable in the long run if you can do that. And I really realized, cause it was almost, you get excited whenever you get like a customer or somebody wants to buy from you or somebody wants to do something and you want to drop everything you're doing and and intend to that. And I finally kind of gotten out of that scarcity mindset and been like, okay, these clients will still be here. i will answer them in an appropriate amount of time, but I don't have to, it's not a fire that needs to be addressed at this particular moment.
00:29:15
Speaker
And knowing that, and I literally have to like have some of those conversations that it's like, this can wait until the next day. um and it's definitely added all so much more sanity back to my life. And i and I like, it's so funny. i used to like love I was like, I never,
00:29:32
Speaker
I kind of felt like I missed out on like just those random, like walks through target that I felt like I used to do when you had right, like nothing else to do. And I, you and I, so I, it's so funny. I started like doing some of that stuff where it was, it was just needing like time, like time to like not be going through a to-do list or doing anything. and um, so now that I add that in, like all of that seems like it's meditation on some level.
00:29:59
Speaker
Yeah, doing stuff for yourself and taking that space. And sometimes, you know, sometimes I go to home goods.
00:30:11
Speaker
Yes, it is so therapeutic. I'm like, do I even need anything? and I'm like, well, I certainly always need some candles. Yeah. ah At least I walk out with a with a scented candle. But, you know, just yeah, having that time to sort of do, ah you know, so I guess you could call it self care, but to focus on something different or not focus on anything at all.
00:30:35
Speaker
You know, yeah just walk through. and also like getting outdoors is really great for that too. You know, when you're busting your butt up a hike, like the only thing you can think about is either what was I thinking doing this hike? It's so hard. Or I can't wait to get to the top to see the view and eat my sandwich.
00:30:55
Speaker
So yeah that's really important. And, you know, with the phones, it's so hard because you get a ding and you get an email and you look at it and you're like, OK, I'm not going to respond right now.
00:31:07
Speaker
But then you have to remember to respond when you go back and you start working again. So it's like it's almost like you just got to know I'm not checking my emails. I'm not doing this. I'm not even going to look until it's time to look.
00:31:22
Speaker
Yep. I have actually turned off all notifications on my phone, ah but I do have an email sickness. Like I have like incessantly like checking my email and I've been trying to be better at that, especially like, like is said, after six o'clock, don't look at it.
00:31:39
Speaker
Um, and even like mail, like sometimes you'll get like I don't know if you check your mail and then it's like, you get something from like the IRS or the social security. And I like learned very quickly, like you open that tomorrow.
00:31:53
Speaker
Like there's nothing you can do that night about whatever it is that they're like messaging you about. And like you might as well just like leave that for the next day. And so it's funny. I even like do that with any like work mail. Like tomorrow we can when I check in like we can do that.
00:32:09
Speaker
So. Yeah, I think that's really healthy to do. I've started doing that to just, okay, this conversation is still businessy and it happens, you know, I'll be talking to people um at five, six, seven o'clock at night, and I'm super excited about what we're talking about or the partnership.
00:32:29
Speaker
And then at some point, I'm like, all right, You're going to look at this and you're going to respond tomorrow because you're getting tired, first of all, and you don't want to say something stupid. and You want to be very clear about your response. And um yeah, especially when you have a family, too. I don't know if you have any kids or anything, but ah it's hard to just even stay focused sometimes because you got other things going on.
00:32:56
Speaker
Yeah, you know, my son is 16 he actually just, it's been interesting because feel like in a way we're like are living parallel lives in terms of going after things. And I'm kind of learning a lot about self personal growth and just like the power of like your brain and like really realizing that like you do have control over your life and where you want to go and
Balancing Motherhood & Business Responsibilities
00:33:22
Speaker
those things. And so he actually, um, at 14 years old, moved to Minnesota to play hockey. And so he lives there and then he flies, he's actually home right now for spring break. So he comes home much just like a college student, just at 14, he's now 16.
00:33:40
Speaker
Um, and so it's funny though, because coming up to that, like more like very early empty nesters, but I feel it was like once he ah the time was coming to an end, like seeing him every day, it was like all these things that I was like, so wrapped up in, in terms of business, it felt like I realized like the most important thing was the fact that I was a mom and that that time is very limited. Like, yes, I will always be his mom, but he's not always going to need me in the way that he was. And it was,
00:34:12
Speaker
all of a sudden it was like, I wanted to like cherish all the time we had. And even so now it's funny because as he left, I set even more boundaries. Cause like, he's home and I'm like, okay, I'm working a little bit more limited hours, trying to also maintain like focus when I am hanging out with them.
00:34:32
Speaker
He would totally probably disagree with that and thinks I'm always working. But I am actively trying to make sure that I'm like being as present as possible because the timing just like feels limited.
00:34:46
Speaker
um and you know, and I realized like my business will always be here. Work will always be there. It's never going to go anywhere. But that time that you have with your kids is so limited. And it's funny because I'm like, he was the whole reason but I like did this out to do this. Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:03
Speaker
Yeah. And you know, you're the second person I've had on the show that has kind of had a similar story of starting their own business with their partner to have that kind of family balance.
00:35:15
Speaker
And um it's interesting how I've changed in my evolution of before I had kids, never thought I was going to get married, never thought I was going to have kids. And now i do. And I feel the same way. You know, I'm like, my son is a priority. My kids are a priority. um And i'm like, I would not have said that 10 years ago that I would be saying this.
00:35:39
Speaker
And now I work in a in an industry that's mostly women. Um, I used to work with mostly men. Now it's mostly women. And one of our icebreakers one day was, um, what, uh, is your favorite role? You know, we often wear many hats.
00:35:55
Speaker
What's your favorite role? Being a mom, being a mom, being a mom, being a mom in the chat was like the number one thing. And then there were a few being a cat parent, but that was, that was hands down. And I was, I was, interesting I thought that was interesting too, because even, even if, you know,
00:36:18
Speaker
your kid is your priority. the fact that that was everybody's answer on top of all the hats that we wear, i think that is really powerful. And it does show just the struggles that parents and women, female parents can face when trying to balance work and, and having a family and all the emotions and the stress that comes along with it.
00:36:42
Speaker
um I know that's where I left my job. Yeah. Yeah, it is. And I don't, and honestly, it's funny. Cause it's like, you think you have more, you do, I don't want to act like you don't, you think that you have more balance but if you go to work for yourself because you have more freedom and flexibility.
00:37:01
Speaker
But what happens is your day gets really elongated because it's not like I go to work during this time and then you turn it off and you you're off and this is what you do right now. It's like, okay, yep. I'm going to take him here and then I'm do a little work here. And then I'm going like, then I have to go pick them up from here.
00:37:15
Speaker
there's so many like little bits of time. and And my son was very into hockey, which is why I moved to Minnesota. So we were spending four hours in the evening, like driving him to his hockey practice. It was like an hour north of us.
00:37:27
Speaker
And then he had practice for an hour or two, and then it was an hour back. And so the time, it was great because I did have the ability to like take him to school and pick him up and do that. But it actually caused more chaos. I feel like for me,
00:37:43
Speaker
because my day was just elongated. And honestly, up until he left, because like his schedule got... way more demanding and he didn't have a license. And it was like, I was like, he was essentially becoming like an adult and like needing to go to the gym and needing to go here and needing to do this. And I'm trying to work and I'm fitting all that in. And I felt like I can only work at like two hours at a time. So I didn't feel like I could like dive into anything.
00:38:07
Speaker
And so actually when he had left, it was like, everyone kept asking me, they were like, how are you doing? And I was like, amazing. i was like, I'm doing amazing.
00:38:18
Speaker
And I actually felt like the worst mom for feeling that way. But it was like, I felt like I could take a deep breath and I felt like I had time and like, I didn't have to rush around with like my head cut off trying to make sure that everything was getting done. And it's funny because he's now been gone for two years and The first year I literally enjoyed it. I was like, this is amazing. I miss him. i miss him in the house. I didn't miss running all of that around.
00:38:46
Speaker
And now the second year is funny. Now i'm like, oh my, I'm like, I really kind of miss like being a mom. Like I'm parenting from afar, but not totally. And he's definitely a little bit more of an adult, but I was like, kind of miss like being a mom. And I felt like super giddy when he was like kind of coming home, even though he's 16 and wants, he's getting to the point where it's like,
00:39:07
Speaker
loves his mom, but doesn't really, you know, want to like cuddle or love me or do any sort of thing when he was like a kid. Right. So, um, so yeah, it's definitely an interesting like evolution, but I've definitely learned that if you have kids, like just enjoy the time that you have and your business will be there. And one day all you'll have is time to spend on your business.
00:39:32
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, my one of my bosses before he retired at my old job, you know, we were talking and he said, the one thing I regret is working so much while my kids were young.
00:39:47
Speaker
And because during that time in that industry, ah they were working seven days a week, 12 hour shifts. And that was kind of the norm. Um, and it was good money, right? So like, they're bringing home the bacon. And he's just like, I wish I would have been home a lot more.
00:40:07
Speaker
and that's really stuck with me. You know, that was the one thing out of his really long career there that he told me is like, I just wish I would have been um with my kids more when they were young.
00:40:19
Speaker
Cause now they're gone, you know, now they're moved away and they're adults. And he's like, you don't get that time back. So I thought that was pretty cool. And I was like, all right, peace out. I quit. your I mean, it didn't, it didn't play out exactly that way, but you know, that, that stuck with me. And that is something that I think about when I make my decisions on what I'm going to do next.
00:40:40
Speaker
So absolutely. Yeah. Okay. Well, what is your best or most, I don't know, important piece of advice that you would offer Grit City women?
Advice for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs
00:40:55
Speaker
um I think, actually, i mean, I really feel like what i have learned since starting, I'm going to give you two because I feel like I always do that. I'm like somebody who just can't give one.
00:41:06
Speaker
um The first one would be That it if you're starting out with any doing anything, it is going to take a feel like a lot of people like want things to start happening overnight. And I remember when I first started, it took probably a good eight months before I really started seeing like revenue coming in. And like you really have to stick with it and stay consistent. So that would be.
00:41:29
Speaker
My advice is like, just keep going. And like the hard work that you're doing will eventually like all of that. Somebody had given me the analogy. It's like, you're just like stretching a rubber band, like all the activities and all the things you're doing. And then one day that's going to snap and all of that work that you've done is going to come back. And it was so true because there was a point where I was just like, man,
00:41:48
Speaker
is am Am I going to catch any traction on this? Is anything going to get going? So that was kind of in the very beginning. And the next advice I would give is just follow the momentum where it goes. like You can't manufacture like the momentum. and And I think that that's what's kept me alive in my business is really seeing and realizing like what is working, what isn't working, like how do we pivot?
00:42:11
Speaker
And not being so set in like, this is my business and this is what it does. We don't do anything else. um Because I feel like we would be out of business by now had i not just followed the momentum where it's going.
00:42:24
Speaker
i do think that you can have intention with where you're wanting to go. And that's kind of, I feel like my next kind of phase is is okay, now we have these two businesses, what's this next phase and what is the intention and what does that look like? And and going forward with some of those goals.
00:42:41
Speaker
um But I feel like you have to follow if you're in, and if you're in anything, you have to follow like where the demand is. he Yeah. Or you go to bankruptcy, right? I mean, you have to be making money to maintain the business.
00:42:57
Speaker
Or if you're not growing, right? If you're not growing, you're dying. So You not making changes and you're not constantly getting better or developing new ah programs or um offerings or services, then eventually, you know, it's probably going to potentially die out.
00:43:17
Speaker
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story and your awesome advice. um was really great at having you, Jamie. um thank you so much. It was so fun to be on here.
00:43:33
Speaker
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00:43:46
Speaker
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