WEBVTT - Making AJ the CEO of Fayt? 0:00:04.160 --> 0:00:06.920 Hi, I'm Britney Saunders, and welcome to Big Business, the 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:09.560 place where business is far from boring. And today I'm 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:12.799 recording on a wobbicle land. Now I somehow manage to 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:15.640 build an empire from the garage underneath my house, and 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:16.760 I'm here to share. 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:18.480 It all with you, from the winds. 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:22.400 The huge mistakes, the challenging times, and the funny moments 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:25.640 in between. So, whether you're in business already, perhaps you're 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:27.480 not in the game at all, Maybe you're just looking 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:30.560 for some inspiration, or you just simply want to hear 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:34.440 the tea, this is the podcast for you. Coming up 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:37.600 on today's episode, I'm going to talk about what it's 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:43.879 like to be a female business owner, CEO, entrepreneur in 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:47.000 a man's world. I'm going to be talking about some 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:50.839 of the challenges that I myself have faced. I'm going 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:53.680 to talk about some specific moments that have stood out 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:55.840 to me when I've thought, holy fuck, if I was 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:58.680 a man, then I'd be the mayor. And which, by 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:00.960 the way, I love that Taylor's Swift song. I played 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:03.000 it for AJ last night when I told him that 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:05.640 I was doing this episode, and I don't think he's 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:08.160 ever really heard that song, which, by the way, you 0:01:08.200 --> 0:01:09.800 need to listen to that song if you haven't heard it, 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:12.360 The Man by Taylor Swift, and so I played it 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:14.040 for AJ. I said, listen to the words, and he 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:15.920 was like, oh, this is really cool. Like I've never 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.560 really heard this song or actually listened to the words. 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:21.120 But I'm just going to be talking about what it's 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:24.680 like to be a female founder and leader in a 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:30.360 world where men rule everything. So without further ado, let's 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:31.840 just get straight down to business. 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:38.080 So let's feel the tea. 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:43.640 What is it like to be a woman founder, CEO, entrepreneur, 0:01:43.720 --> 0:01:48.320 business owner, even manager or leader in a world where 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:53.440 men are just favored. I can obviously speak about this 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:57.600 because I'm a female CEO and founder, and I've definitely 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:01.720 had some instances myself where it's in my tracks. But 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:08.120 at the same time, I think I have never allowed 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:13.000 a man to completely stop me. If anything, I think 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.079 I just have this false sense of confidence or I've 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:19.120 had it since the very beginning where I've never let 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:22.120 a man kind of doubt me. But there have been 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:24.399 a few instances over the years, and I'm sure there's 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:26.040 a lot that happened to me that I don't even 0:02:26.120 --> 0:02:30.000 realize because I'm so confident within myself. But I know 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:32.600 for a lot of women, they don't have this like 0:02:32.720 --> 0:02:36.400 extreme weird confidence that I somehow have built over the years, 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:39.560 and that you know, doing something ballsy or starting a 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:42.880 business or applying for a loan or any of those things. 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:45.600 It can be quite daunting, especially when you're dealing with men. 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:49.839 Now in my business, I weirdly deal with a lot 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.160 of men, actually, even though it doesn't seem that way. 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:57.120 Fate is a female dominated business and I absolutely love 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:00.880 that we've got two guys in the company more. But 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:03.120 the girlies just love Fate and when we put up 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.920 a job at all, the girlies come pouring through. But 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:10.960 we've got aj obviously my partner, and then we've got 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:14.280 we've got Josh in the warehouse warehouse Josh. And we've 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:16.200 had a few other guys over the years too, mainly 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:19.880 in the warehouse. But Fate is a female dominated company 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:23.120 and I love that. It's not to say it hasn't 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:25.640 come with its challenges over the years, but I absolutely 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:27.880 love and am so proud to say that. 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:30.919 We employ so many women now. 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:36.880 One of the I guess first instances that really stood 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:39.560 out to me when I was dealing with a man. 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:41.400 And by the way, like, the way that I deal 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:44.680 with men in my business is obviously not like internally, 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:50.840 it's externally. It's all of our solicitors, it's our accountants, 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.640 it's our real estate agents, because we've got what seven 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:58.320 or eight bloody commercial leases like and most of the 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:02.720 people that we deal with are men. We've got our contractors, 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:06.760 we've got our bin guys, we've got our posters, like 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:10.000 just all these outside people that we deal with most 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:11.960 of the time of men. And so I've got a 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:17.200 bit of a story to tell you now. Ah yeah, 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:20.040 I'm gonna say what one it was. And I mean 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:22.560 no harm when I say this at all, like, and 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:24.800 I know it was lighthearted, but it just made me 0:04:24.800 --> 0:04:26.320 think in the moment, if I was a guy, would 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:28.400 this conversation be playing out the way that it is. 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:30.800 So fate this. 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:33.880 Was maybe three ish years ago now or two and 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.359 a half years ago, we had our one store, we 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:40.080 just had our one Newcastle store, and I made the 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:42.560 crazy decision, fuck it, I'm going to open a store 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:46.240 in Sydney, and so I ventured down and again I 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:47.719 don't want to get in any sort of trouble for 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:51.360 saying this, Like, whoever is listening from Westfield Miranda, I 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:52.560 mean no harm by saying this. 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:54.880 I love you guys, I love the store there, but 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:56.640 there was this this moment. 0:04:56.680 --> 0:05:00.840 Okay, so I'm the The thing with me as well, 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:02.720 is like I'll go and do everything by myself, Like 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:05.359 I'm that confident in myself and my business and my 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:09.120 brand that I reached out to all of these Westfields, 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:12.400 which actually makes me think, just the thought that I'm 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:16.200 having right now, I wonder because when you want to 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:18.600 have a store in a Westfield or wherever, like you 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:21.720 just find their people and you email them, like you 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:24.640 can find their emails on their website like for retailers, 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:27.600 and you kind of pitch yourself to them. And I 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:30.560 emailed a lot and I didn't hear back from a few, 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:34.920 and that just made me think, I wonder if I had, 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:37.280 like if there's shopping centers I've never heard back from, 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:39.800 is that because I'm a woman, you know? Or would 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:41.920 I be taken more seriously if I was a guy, 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.080 Because some you just don't hear from hear back from 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:47.880 it all, and others you do. But anyway, Westfield Miranda, 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:50.320 which is where our second Fate store is, like the 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:54.640 second one we ever opened is in Sydney, and they 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:56.440 were the first ones that got back to me when 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:59.080 I reached out to a bunch in Sydney. So I 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:01.360 locked in meeting with them and it was a girl 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:05.480 and a guy, and I just so confidently drove down 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:08.840 to Sydney, like by myself. I'm this young girl, and 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:12.880 the thing with me is like, yes, I'm professional, but 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.120 when it comes to my business and being in meetings 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:18.880 and doing all the things, even though it's like corporate, 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:21.720 I quite literally just rock up as myself, like I 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:24.920 don't ever try to pretend to be anyone else in 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:27.479 my role, even though I'm a CEO, Like I don't 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:31.719 walk in with a blazer and act all mighty and smart, 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:33.800 like I just shove and go, how are you? Like, 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:36.880 I'm Brittany from Newcastle. What you see like on social 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:38.920 media and the way that I portray myself on my 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.719 podcast is exactly how I am when I'm meeting professionals. 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:43.640 Sure I might be a little bit more professional, but 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.359 I'll still be funny. And so I remember rocking up 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:50.520 to Westfield Miranda again, no offense to Westfield Miranda, I 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:54.400 love you guys. And I met with this guy and 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:58.520 girl and Westfields and all shopping centers they essentially have 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:01.880 their own agents, right like the leasing agents. They're like 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:03.800 an agent for the center and they look after all 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:07.560 the tenants. And so I met these people. They were 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:11.000 really nice, shook their hands and I always love shaking 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:13.280 a guy's hand with like a bit of extra strength, 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:17.000 just to be like, yeah, this is me and this 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:19.680 is who I am. And then what you'll do when 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:22.880 you go walking through a center is they will walk 0:07:22.920 --> 0:07:24.720 you through and kind of show you around. And I'd 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:26.560 never been there before, so they're showing me all the 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:28.160 different areas. And then we get to the store that 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:30.480 I was looking at, which is now our store and 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:34.120 has been for like almost it's almost three years this year. 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:36.080 Fucking hell, I don't know, but anyway, I don't want 0:07:36.080 --> 0:07:37.560 to talk about how fast the time is going. 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:38.880 Anyway. 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:43.720 I remember the guy that I was with, and he's 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:46.720 in a suit. I'm there in my fucking jeens, and 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:52.000 he started obviously questioning me about fate and about my business, 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:55.320 and part of me gets it. You know, I'm this 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:58.800 young blonde girl who's super energetic and I'm there by 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:01.880 myself and don't look like a professional business owner. But 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:04.080 what the fuck does a professional business owner look like? 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:07.240 And so we're walking through the center. The lady that 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:09.640 was with him, she had done her research. She knew 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.680 exactly who I was, she knew exactly who Fate was. 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:15.880 She had seen our social media. Oh my god, there's 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:19.080 another Okay, hold, I thought, there's also another story that 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:20.960 I'm going to tell after this one, which just like 0:08:21.240 --> 0:08:24.640 jogged in my memory. And so he's questioning me about 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:28.840 the business, about Fate, and I'm just talking about who 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:29.400 we are, what. 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:31.720 We do, our size range, this, that and the other. 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:35.439 And I just got the sense from this guy, even 0:08:35.440 --> 0:08:38.480 though he was being really lovely, I felt like he 0:08:38.640 --> 0:08:41.319 was kind of laughing at me, and I felt like 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:46.079 he was kind of doubting me. And I only had 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.280 one other store, obviously, our Newcastle store at this stage, 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:53.520 and it was performing exceptionally well, like I'm super confident 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:55.920 in opening another store based off the store that we've 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:59.360 had for however many years by that point, And we 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:01.400 got to the store and we had to look through 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:03.920 I loved it. It was in shambles. If you remember 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.040 seeing my content on Instagram, like we were going to 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.600 have to give the whole thing a makeover. And then 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:13.280 we started talking about figures and he was saying, oh, 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:15.720 you know, like i'd expect if you were to move 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:19.360 into this space, you would make about this much in 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:22.600 revenue for a year. And so we started throwing around 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:26.959 figures and like sales figures, and I remember going, really, 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.880 and I think the number that he said was less 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:32.680 than what our Newcastle store was making at the time 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:34.559 in a year, Like he said, in a year, he'd 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.080 probably do this turnover, and I was like, oh really. 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:38.920 I was like, no, I think we would do more 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:41.959 because I was confident in fate and I know what 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:44.240 our Newcastle store was making at the time. I was like, nah, 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:46.959 I think it would be actually more around this. And 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:48.640 we kind of went back and forth and it was 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:51.080 like him going na na, na, na, na, I don't 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:52.600 think so, and me going. 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:54.679 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, And like I was being 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:57.320 really funny with it. I'm like, is that a challenge? 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.760 And so I was being funny with him. It was banter, 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:05.640 like it was not intended to be malicious or anything 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:08.040 on his part, but we had this back and forth 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:10.480 over what he thought I could generate in that store 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:13.640 versus what I thought I could generate in that store. 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.400 And I remember saying to him, is that a challenge? 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:18.800 And he's like, yep, oh, put you up to the challenge. 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.360 And we were laughing and it was funny and whatever. 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:22.640 And this is why I don't want to get in 0:10:23.000 --> 0:10:24.199 trouble with Westfield. 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:24.640 Miranda or anything. 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:29.240 But I remember leaving after meeting them, both shaking their 0:10:29.280 --> 0:10:31.200 hands and I said, yep, let's keep the combo going. 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:32.880 I'm keen on this store. I want it. 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:35.480 And then I remember calling AJ on the way home, 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:37.240 and it was one of the first things that I 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:39.920 said to AJ was I felt like that guy was 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:43.800 like underestimating me. I felt like he wasn't confident in 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:47.440 me the way that I am. And that was one 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:52.040 of the first moments where I thought, I wonder if 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:55.800 I would have had that conversation with that guy if 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:59.160 I was a man, would that conversation have gone that 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.280 way and would have been like, oh, no, I don't 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:04.000 think you'll make that much if I was a guy. 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.720 And that is just a little moment in my career 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:09.439 and business journey that is stuck with me. 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:13.360 Yeah, it's really interesting that Hello, sorry, it is produced 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:16.040 for they get to say who's jumping in for any 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:20.400 new new listeners. It's really interesting that you've brought that up, 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:25.960 because would he be questioning your knowledge and your understanding 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:28.120 of your business and what you think it could generate 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:31.199 if you were a man, Because I don't think he 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:34.080 would have, and I don't think many other men would 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:38.480 question that. I think that they would accept that that 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:42.319 male knew and understood his business well enough to give 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:44.360 you an honest take on what they think they could make. 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:48.240 Absolutely, and I can't I can't remember what the figure was, 0:11:48.360 --> 0:11:52.000 but he and he would have been also talking, you know, 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:54.640 based on the stats of the previous stores that had 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:56.880 been in there, and like maybe those stores hadn't been 0:11:56.920 --> 0:11:58.439 as successful in that space. 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:00.160 But I remember him just. 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:03.360 Saying like you might generate like six hundred and fifty 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:05.600 grand a year or whatever it was, and I was like, nah, 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:07.600 I reckon, I'll do over a million in this space, 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.840 and him instead of just him going oh, really like shit, 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:14.079 like you must have a really good product or whatever, 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:15.560 or a great community. 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:19.160 Or even asking you, oh, why do you think that 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:21.880 you're going to you know what I mean? 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:24.960 Yeah, it was just this again. It wasn't malicious. 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:27.680 I just think like, if I was a guy, maybe 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:30.599 that conversation wouldn't have gone that way. And what I 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:34.839 found so much satisfaction in and what I find and 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.640 will continue to find so much satisfaction in, is then 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:43.079 we opened, you know, and we just go boom. And 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:46.520 because you have to report your sales figures to Westfield. 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:51.240 I remember a massive change of tone in the way 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:55.280 he spoke to me after that, and for months after that, 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:58.439 it went from like having this funny, weird interaction the 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:00.440 first time I met him, and then we ended up 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:04.280 getting along really well, and he would call me and say, 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:06.439 how's everything going, Oh my god, I heard. 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:07.880 How good you did on Saturday. 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:11.680 And then he wanted me to go into another Westfield 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:13.480 because a lot of these agents look after a lot 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:14.199 of Westfields. 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:16.000 And then it was brit I've got this other shop 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:18.559 for you. Come and look at this other center in Sydney. 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:22.640 And I'm like, oh, well, well, well here we were. 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:25.280 You were thinking I was gonna make X amount. 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:27.760 I've knocked it out of the fucking park, and now 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:30.800 you want my money in another center. So that's just 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:34.320 a little fun story that I'll never forget another one. 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:39.720 When I was venturing down to Melbourne to look at 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:43.000 opening our store there again, I started with all the 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:44.440 shopping centers everyone knows. 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:44.640 Now. 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:47.559 I ended up going with a boutique in Hawthorne. Go 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:51.960 visit the girlies down there if you're ever around. But again, 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.079 I have a lot of experience with going and meeting 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:58.719 these center managers and leasing agents and whatever. And I 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.120 was super excited about this one because it's like the 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:03.319 biggest shopping center down there. I don't really want to 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:05.520 say which one because I don't want to get in 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:07.880 trouble in because I'm not a tenant there, but like 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:10.839 the big shopping center down there that everyone raves about. 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:16.559 I spoke with the guy there and I locked in 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:20.760 for ajen myself to fly down to go and see 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:23.160 one of the stores there and see the center. And 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:25.480 I had been emailing back and forth with this guy 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:28.360 and we locked it in. He knew that I was 0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:30.400 flying down, he knew that I had booked flights, blah 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:34.280 blah blah blah blah. When we got to the center, 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:37.720 I was just immediately disappointed because I could tell that 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:41.320 he hadn't even looked up who who we were. And 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:45.040 the thing that solidified it for me that he'd done 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:50.600 no research was he asked if we are using social media. 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:56.120 For our business and I was like, yeah, we're using 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.000 social media for our business. We're like one of the 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.160 biggest brands in the country on social. 0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:04.760 Are And so I never pursued that center and I 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:08.520 never emailed that guy after that meeting because he ruined 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:11.200 it for me, and I just wonder like, was that 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.480 just him or did he not bother looking into anything 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:17.600 that I do or fate because I'm a woman, like, 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:19.840 I'll never really know, but that was just another little 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:26.920 instance for me. Now let's get onto some of the 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:33.320 other common challenges that female leaders, entrepreneurs CEOs may face. Obviously, 0:15:33.400 --> 0:15:35.600 what I've touched on for this whole episode so far 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.920 is just simply not being taken seriously. I think that's 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:43.360 something that applies in life in general. You know, women 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:47.000 are never taken as seriously as men. Sorry to all 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.360 the men listening, but surely if you're listening to this 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:52.920 podcast in general, you're a girl's guy, you know. 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:56.080 But it's just not being taken seriously. 0:15:56.480 --> 0:16:01.320 And I'm sure that I have not been taken seriously 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:04.360 a billion times by men that I speak with, But 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:06.160 maybe I just don't notice it because I'm just so 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:08.680 confident in myself that I'm probably shaking hands with these 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:10.400 guys and like, who the fuck is this girl? But 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:13.440 I've just got this like fearless confidence about myself that 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:16.480 I don't even notice it anymore. But there obviously are 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:20.640 those moments that stand out, and I'll always remember those. 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:24.440 Now another weird one which is personal to me and 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:27.160 I think also probably to a lot of other female 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:31.720 more so leaders like this could even apply to like 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:38.040 management positions, you know, people that are are bosses in workplaces. 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:42.800 Is I've dealt with some experiences over the years with staff, 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:44.640 like going back to my staff and us being a 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:48.560 female dominated workplace. I've dealt with a lot of experiences, 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:53.080 and at the end of it all I have said 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:55.680 out loud and said to my colleagues or said to 0:16:55.760 --> 0:16:59.040 AJ I've said to myself, I wonder if that person 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:00.880 would have treated me that way if I was a 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:05.440 fifty year old man. So obviously females aren't taken seriously 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:09.200 in life in general anywhere near as much as men are. 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:13.879 And without like going to in detail, I've dealt with 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:18.080 some staff conflicts over the years, especially like in my 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.040 early development years and like when we opened up our 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:24.800 first couple of stores, and I've had some people treat 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:29.000 me in ways that's just like completely thrown me off guard, 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:34.520 whether it's people saying personal attacks against me. I've had 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:38.159 staff members that have been exiting the company, especially in 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:40.399 my earlier days when I didn't know how to handle 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:44.320 those kinds of situations. And I've just some of the 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:47.000 shit that I've had, like past staff members say to me, 0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:50.880 where I've thought after it all and like once it's 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:53.840 all finished and we're done with the fucking drama, not 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:57.119 that it's drama with the situation where I've turned to 0:17:57.200 --> 0:18:01.040 AJ and I've said, I don't think that previous employee 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:03.479 would have spoken to me in that way or treated 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:06.280 me that way if I wasn't a thirty year old girl, 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:10.040 because I just couldn't ever imagine in a million years 0:18:10.119 --> 0:18:11.800 some of the stuff that people have said to me. 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.639 I couldn't imagine them acting that way towards a fifty 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:19.200 year old guy, Like it just wouldn't happen. So whilst 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:22.239 it's amazing to have this female dominated company and all 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:25.720 of these female staff members. I've also feel like I've 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:30.680 experienced firsthand the negatives of being a female in a 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:34.680 position of authority and power, where my own staff have 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:38.000 not taken me seriously enough or have felt like they 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.520 could say shit to me that they wouldn't dare to 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:45.600 say to a man or an older man. And yeah, 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:47.760 that's just like another thing that I thought was worth 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:48.400 pointing out. 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:53.480 Do you find that your assertiveness and your role as 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:59.800 a boss is perceived differently than someone like aj who 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:02.680 also has a senior role within your company. 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:05.439 Do you think, like in terms of my staff, a. 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.720 Lot of the time, men who are assertive and who 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:11.320 are confident it's view differently to when a woman does it, 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:13.760 And a lot of people kind of get their back 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:16.240 up about that, and or they could find it bitchy 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:18.240 or they could find it cold. 0:19:18.560 --> 0:19:23.560 Yeah, definitely, I think this is just like social bias. 0:19:23.600 --> 0:19:26.320 I don't know if that's the right word, but when 0:19:26.560 --> 0:19:32.040 a female is assertive, let's say, for example, someone has 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.160 done something and they need to be spoken to. You know, Hey, 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:37.320 I'm going to pull you up on this because XYZ. 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:42.240 It can come not it can come across. But people 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:45.480 might see that as Oh, she's being a bitch, or 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:50.240 she's being rude, or she's attacking me, or she's being nasty, 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:53.119 Like I feel like that can often be people's first 0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:56.719 thing that they want to think and say instead of Oh, 0:19:56.800 --> 0:19:58.720 this is my boss and she's giving me some constructive 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:01.040 feedback about something that I'm maybe didn't do the best 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:05.880 and I need to improve or learn better for next time. Whereas, yeah, 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:09.920 if AJ had delivered that message to them, I don't 0:20:09.960 --> 0:20:15.359 think you know, anyone would go AJ's a bitch and 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:19.240 AJ is personally attacking me. But because that message is 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:23.840 being delivered from a female, it can be so different. 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:26.000 It can be personal when at the end of the day, 0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:29.560 as a leader or a manager, when you're delivering a 0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:33.440 message to someone, it's never personal. It's just business and 0:20:33.520 --> 0:20:35.960 it's just you doing your job. But because you're a female, 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:39.040 oh she's a bitch because she did this, when that's 0:20:39.280 --> 0:20:41.080 literally not the case at. 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:44.440 All, even for my self, brit Like, I'm a man, 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:50.400 and even now, like even and through situations that I'm 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:55.480 in throughout life, I am clocking myself and noticing that 0:20:56.480 --> 0:21:00.000 I need to really unravel a lot of these societales 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:02.800 expectations that we have put on men and women and 0:21:03.800 --> 0:21:07.000 their different roles and how I perceive that energy that 0:21:07.040 --> 0:21:10.520 I'm given. So say, for example, if I hypothetically have 0:21:10.640 --> 0:21:14.840